


I'm Saying Goodbye

by MossadHuntinDog



Series: In Another Life [1]
Category: Eureka (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:15:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 86
Words: 154,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24878293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MossadHuntinDog/pseuds/MossadHuntinDog
Summary: She couldn't describe it, but the need was... well, downright impossible to ignore. As she pulled away from the curb, she swore that this would be the last time she would ever leave Eureka. She was leaving, just like the Astreaus crew was, though the only difference between them and her, was that no matter what she discovered on her walkabout, she was never coming back.
Relationships: Zane Donovan/Jo Lupo
Series: In Another Life [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1967452
Comments: 249
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Rifiuto: Non Miriena
> 
> Written: 2013- Licia

_"I can't breathe_   
_Cause you push me back_   
_I should've stayed,_   
_Stayed away from you_   
_It's feel like I'm,_   
_I'm being attacked_   
_I don't know what,_   
_What I'm gonna do_

_Tried to improve me_   
_Why you do that to me?_   
_I don't wanna be with you_   
_Don't tell me that you're sorry_   
_All you do is lie to me_   
_Don't know what I'm gonna do"_

_\- I'm Saying Goodbye,_

_Loving Caliber_

_Prologue_

Her bags were packed, her car was waiting to make the trek out of the small Oregon town, into the great, wide unknown. She had just left GD, telling the others goodbye-

She shivered, memories of Zane's kiss filling her head. But she quickly shook it off, tossing her duffel into the backseat of her car and climbing into the driver's seat. She only vaguely noticed that Vincent and the others in town had come out to bid her goodbye. Quickly, she spared a fleeting smile, before pulling away from the curb and driving off.

This walkabout was a good thing; he would be gone for six months, having a blast with the other eggheads on Titan, and she... well, hopefully, by the time the six months were up, she'd know where she belonged. She had to keep telling herself that. She was going on a journey of self-discovery; in search of the missing pieces of herself that were out in the universe waiting to be found.

She couldn't describe it, but the need was... well, by now, it was downright impossible to ignore. The need to figure herself out, to put herself back together and discover her true worth- it had called to her, in the dark of the night as she'd lay in bed at Carter's place, jarring her from a dead sleep and making her heart race. It had whispered to her in the advanced halls of Global Dynamics, beckoning her away with silent promises of adventure and excitement. It had slid over her skin on the nights she and Zane had made love, like a well-fitting glove, teasing her taut nerves and overstimulated mind with a desire greater than any she could feel in Zane's arms.

Her friends had noticed the change in her; her indecision, the way her mind would wander, the dreamy look that often came over her when she thought she was alone. They had asked her if she was all right, if she needed to talk to someone, if she wanted help figuring anything out, and she'd always shaken her head, telling them that she was okay, that she would be fine, but it was always a lie.

The smiles had so willingly given at one point, no longer came as easily to her; the happiness she projected didn't reach her eyes.

Zane had confronted her about it last night after sex, and she'd simply shaken her head, giving him a soft smile and a kiss to the lips before pulling him close and settling down. But even after his breathing evened out, and his hold on her relaxed, she still lay awake, unable to sleep. Instead, she'd lay in bed beside him, gaze going to the window and the moonlight that beckoned her through the glass.

At one point, she'd slipped out of bed, pulling on her clothes, and slipped out of his apartment, deciding to go for a walk. She'd wandered through Eureka, the moonlight guiding her, until she'd come to the invisible barrier at the end of the bridge. The moonlight shone, illuminating the road that stretched before her, and she'd itched to continue, to simply cross the barrier and keep walking, but she knew that it would be pointless. She would be leaving in a few hours, she could wait. After several minutes, she'd turned and walked back to Zane's.

Undressing, she'd slipped back into bed, settling herself back in his arms, feeling him nuzzling into her hair as he'd breathed her name in his sleep. Once again, she'd suppressed the urge to leave, allowing the feel of his lips in her hair finally lull her to sleep.

Now though, there was nothing holding her back, nothing keeping her from driving through that barrier and away from the only home she'd ever known. Nothing keeping her from making her own life, away from the chaos of Eureka and Global Dynamics. She could go anywhere, do anything, start fresh. New York. Los Angeles. New Orleans. Vancouver. Halifax. Ontario.

The world was her oyster, her walkabout, hiding the pearl that would help her not only understand herself, but help her make a decision- in regards to everything in her life. You never know where a walkabout's going to take you.

As she pulled away from the curb, she swore to herself that this would be the last time she would ever leave Eureka. the absolute last time. No more egghead scientists, no more crazy experiments, no more security clearances, no more timeline sanctions hanging over her head, no more bad decisions and painful mistakes in the on-again, off-again relationship she had with Zane.

Once she crossed that barrier, she was free.

She was leaving, just like the Astreaus crew was, though the only difference between them and her, was that no matter what she discovered on her walkabout- or what happened with the Astreaus- she was never coming back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, this is a little different to most of her Eureka fics... Written: 2013.- Licia

_"I wanna runaway_   
_Everytime when you're with me_   
_You want me to stay_   
_Just because you need me_   
_I wanna runaway_   
_Everytime when you're with me_   
_You want me to stay_   
_Just because you need me_

_I just wanna run_   
_I just wanna hide_   
_I just wanna be_   
_On my own sometimes_ _"_

_\- I'm Saying Goodbye,_

_Loving Caliber_

_Three Months Later_

She'd attended a couple outdoor concerts in San Francisco, enjoyed the nightlife of Vegas, attended a drag show in New York, visited her former home in New Jersey, gone up to Boston and surprised her older brother Luca and his family and seen the National mall in D.C., never staying in one place longer than a week or two, staying with friends or family before continuing on her way. In that time, she'd felt small pieces of herself returning; and other than an unfortunate towing incident in Boston, it had been a mild success, so far.

She glanced at the clock on her car stereo; she'd left her cellphone and all electronics back at her place in Eureka, and had found herself a lot more relaxed without the technology there to constantly distract her. The only real technology that could distract her was the radio of her car, but sacrifices had to be made. A small sigh escaped her, and she fiddled with the radio briefly before continuing south.

By the time she reached New Orleans, she was well and truly ready for a home-cooked style meal.

After checking into the small bed and breakfast in the French Quarter, she headed out to explore, keys in her pocket and camera around her neck. Like Carter, Jo had developed a taste for photography; however, unlike Carter, Jo had actually kept with it. Some of her favorite shots were from her walkabout. She moved through the streets, capturing moments in time- from the hand-carved, hand-painted signs that hung above stores to the lattice work of the old iron that made up the balconies and fences around buildings.

She wandered the cemeteries, taking photographs of the old stones, leaving an offering at the grave of Voodoo queen Marie Laveau, listening to the tour guides tell the stories of how Katrina had all but taken out the cemeteries, adding thousands of new souls to the already famous haunted city. She remembered coming down to help with the cleanup, pulling bodies from the wreckage day after day. It had churned her stomach, giving her nightmares that lasted for months after.

After her tours of the cemeteries, she'd stopped at a small bistro, where she got to enjoy the local cuisine and relax. Turns out, Jo had arrived in time for Mardi Gras, and over the course of the week. She hadn't meant to arrive during Mardi Gras, she'd actually gotten lucky. One of her childhood dreams had been to attend Mardi Gras some day, and now she could cross it off her list. So, perhaps this walkabout was a good thing. It was revelry and excitement that filled the streets, the smell of rich, fatty foods and lively music wafted in the air. She laughed as other people danced by; the parade moved through the streets, and she, along with hundreds of others, called out to those on the floats. _"Throw me something, Mister!"_

Someone tossed a set of the gold, purple and green costume beads at her, and she laughed, nodding her thanks as they clicked together, and she draped them over her neck. She then remembered her camera, and snapped as many photographs as possible. The enjoyment she felt at being able to attend something she'd dreamed of attending as a child washed over her, and she laughed, catching a small cup and a couple dubloons that were tossed her way. One of the parade members came over, presenting her with a small, plastic teapot decorated in purple, green and white, with a fake carnation tucked inside. "Happy Mardi Gras, Mademoiselle."

Later that night, she returned to her room, setting her trinkets on the desk before going to the small balcony. From her place on the second floor, she watched the party down below. The music and revelry was contagious, but she needed few moments to catch her breath. She glanced back at the desk. In the end, she'd received one decorated teapot, three cups- otherwise known as New Orleans dinnerware, four dubloons, a pair of hand decorated shoes, six stuffed animals, and four sets of beads, all of which were draped over her neck. Quite a haul, especially for her first night.

She caught the eye of a young man down below, and smiled. He grinned back, blowing her a kiss. She bit her lip. _Zane's on Titan, besides, you're not going back to Eureka. And isn't the whole point of a walkabout to have new experiences?_ After a moment, she removed a set of the beads, and tossed them down to the man below her balcony. He caught them easily, and after a moment, rummaged around in his bag for something before tossing it up to her. She started, catching the hand-painted coconut he'd tossed her in return.

She quickly added it to her small pile and returned to her balcony, surprised to see the man still there. "Come down, join the fun!" She shook her head.

"I was just there."

"Then come to the ball tonight. It's open to the tourists!"

Her teeth slid out to nibble her lip, weighing her options. She hadn't promised Zane that she'd wait even if a small part of her was waiting for him. And yet, she was a free woman to do what she wished. Besides, it wasn't like Zane was here; he was millions of miles away, on Titan, having the time of his life. And it wasn't like she would start a relationship with this man, he was simply inviting her to the ball. It was part of the Mardi Gras experience, and she didn't want to miss a moment of it. She turned back to the man below her balcony, and nodded. He grinned.

That night, she changed into the deep red halter dress she'd picked up in Boston- for some unknown reason, the little shop she'd passed by had intrigued her- and black heels, letting her hair tumble down her back in loose waves. She kept her room key and some cash in the small wallet tucked into the garter she wore around her thigh. She had found a beautiful red and black face mask waiting for her on the floor outside her room; it was something the hosts of the bed and breakfast left all their guests who stayed during Mardi Gras. After a moment of study, Jo put it on, tying it in place before leaving.

It was easy to find the ball, and she nervously waited near the entrance, wondering if this was a bad idea, before finally gathering her courage and entering. It was a cornucopia of lights and music and bodies. Even if she didn't find the man who had invited her, she knew that she would have a good time. By the time she finally returned to her room and crawled beneath the covers of her bed, it was well past three in the morning.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is NOT a crossover fic. Written: 2013.- Licia

_"It's so late_   
_There's no way that we_   
_That we could fix it now_

_Stay away from me_   
_You bring me down_   
_And you hold me back_   
_It's feel like I'm,_   
_I'm being attacked_

_Tried to ruin me_   
_Why you do that to me?_   
_I don't wanna be with you_   
_Don't tell me that you're sorry_   
_All you do is lie to me_   
_Don't know what I'm gonna do"_

_\- I'm Saying Goodbye,_

_Loving Caliber_

_Three Months Later_

New Orleans had been one experience she'd never forget, and she was grateful for the experience. After New Orleans, she'd trekked up the Canada, spending a week and a half in Ontario, before going to Montreal for a couple weeks. She'd driven clear across Canada, enjoying the scenery that passed by, stopping on occasion in small, quaint towns for a night or two, taking photographs and exploring the small, local areas. Her destination, if she had one, she guessed, would be Vancouver.

Midway through her road trip across Canada, things began to get strange. Little moments in time began to disappear, the air began to shimmer, and there was a charge that began to make her body hum the closer she got to Vancouver. By the time she reached Vancouver, the strangeness had gotten worse, but she brushed it off.

Once in Vancouver, she immediately went in search of someone, forgetting to check into her room at the nearest bed and breakfast she'd found. She found who she was looking for, completely absorbed in whatever they were doing at the small table in the familiar cafe. Being quiet she hurried over to them, covering their eyes with her hands and leaning down. She brushed a quick kiss to their lips, even as they reached up, removing her hands. "Jo?"

She giggled, stepping back as they stood. "Hey, Evan."

The man stood, pulling her into a hug. She let him lift her briefly off her feet before setting her down. "What are you doing here?" She shrugged, giving him a quick smile. "Oh, here. Sit. I'll grab you a cup. Um... French press, two shots of caramel, three dashes of cream and two sugar, right? Or have your coffee preferences changed in the intervening years?"

She laughed. "Still the same, Ev."

Once he was gone, she turned back to the table. It had been years since she had seen Evan Cross; if she were honest with herself, her childhood friend had been her first crush, and they'd dated briefly in middle school- at least, until Jo's family had moved bases, and they'd been forced to break it off before ninth grade even began. Evan's father was Canadian, and they'd returned to Vancouver where he'd worked military intelligence. Both military brats, there was a mutual respect for the field, while also understanding that they needed to break out of the legacies laid out by their families. It was a little scary that Evan looked so much like Zane- just... a little more clean-cut, a little more relaxed, a lot more mature. A better version, if you will. _Why didn't you try to pursue what you'd once had? You worked so well together._

"Here you go."

She grinned at him as he returned, setting her cup down and returning to his seat. "Thanks."

They settled in comfortable silence; the kind of silence that came from years of friendship and deep love for each other. Jo was the sister Evan had never had, and Evan was the brother Jo had longed for- one who didn't gang up on her constantly, like Luca, Ricco and Davie did. "So, what brings you to Canada?"

"I'm on walkabout, actually."

He raised eye eyebrows, bright blue eyes sparking, reminding her of Zane. _Everyone has a twin._ "Walkabout? I take it Eureka finally let you go for a bit?"

She cocked her head, weighing the gravity of her words. "Yeah..."

"Oh boy, I know that look." She met his gaze.

"What look?"

"Come on, Jojo," She started, having completely forgotten that the nickname did not originally belong to Zane- in either timeline. It had belonged to _Evan_ , first, and always would. "we've known each other how many years now?"

"Too many."

He chuckled. "Which _means_ , I know you well enough to know when something's bothering you. So spill, what's up?"

She sighed. Part of her longed to tell Evan the truth. He owned Cross Photonics, he chased temporal anomalies and timeline shifts for a living. Granted, he also hunted dinosaurs, but still, tomato tomahtoe. He would have a better idea of what was going on- on what had been going on since she got into Canada. And, another good thing, was that she knew for a fact, that he wouldn't tell a soul. Even though they'd lost touch as children, they're reconnected as teenagers in their last years in school; Evan knew things about Jo not even her father and brothers knew. She'd been there when Brooke died; he'd been by her side after she returned fatally wounded from combat; she'd joined the team for two years after returning stateside- four years _before_ Eureka- and had helped him get Cross Photonics off the ground. She'd even done her fair share of dinosaur hunting when she was with Cross Photonics; not that the D.o.D. knew that. He'd originally pushed her towards taking the job as deputy in Eureka, promising that if she was ever unhappy, she would have a place on his team at Cross Photonics.

Their eyes locked, and after several moments, Jo swallowed thickly. "I have this... dilemma."

By the time she'd finished her story, they'd gone through four more cups of coffee, two pastries and ordered lunch. Over sandwiches and coffee, she'd explained everything and nothing- from her 'relationship' with Zane to the conflict she was feeling now, to the strange shiftings that had been happening on her drive over and her adventures over the past few months, including her dilemma about returning to Eureka. After splitting the tab, Evan walked her to her car. He caught her hand. "Come over for dinner. I'll make pasta."

She raised an eyebrow, knowing his familiar cooking offer was a way for him to be able to suggest talking about unmentionable things in private. "You can cook?" He glared at her, and after a moment, she chuckled, before nodding in agreement. "Let me go check into my room-"

"Where are you staying?"

"Um... I was going to check into this little bed and breakfast just down the road. Why?"

He shook his head. "No. I have plenty of space."

"Ev, it's okay. I don't mind; I've been living in bed and breakfasts and hostels for the last few months-"

"Be that as it may, you're in Vancouver, and you have someone here who knows you. You're not staying in a B and B while you're here. You'll stay with me." She put up a good argument, but after several minutes, Evan came out the victor, and she agreed.

After they returned to his place, he put Jo's things in the guest room, and then returned downstairs. Over merlot, they chatted as he fixed dinner; she told him about the timeline shift, and he gave his two cents on the anomalies. "As for the Zane thing... do you like the guy, Jojo?"

She bit her lip. "I..."

"Okay, let me rephrase that. Do you love the guy?"

Her dark eyes widened, and she felt her mouth drop. "Evan Nicholas Cross!"

"Just answer the question, Josephina Catherine!" They lapsed into silence, both knowing that when their middle names were used, there was no sense in arguing anymore. "Do you love the guy or not?"

" _I don't know!_ I... I just... I know that... that I'm not _happy_ in Eureka anymore. I don't know if that has anything to do with Zane or-" She lapsed into silence, and Evan watched her.

"You need a change." She nodded, sipping her wine. "Look, Jojo, I get it. I needed a change after Brooke died-"

"Your idea of change was burying yourself in your work, remember? Took Mac, Toby, Ange _and_ I to pull you out of it, and even then, you spent a week away and then dove right back in."

"And you stayed the two years to make sure I was okay. Jojo, I was touched." She rolled her eyes.

"Get over yourself, Cross." He snorted, leaning close to her over the island.

"Bite me, Lupo." She wrinkled her nose, and then leaned close, capturing his lips in a soft kiss- and promptly doing as told, biting down on his bottom lip.

"Ouch! It's been so long, I've forgotten that you take that literally." She snorted, proud that he remembered the incident that had sparked such a reaction- when he'd shoved her into the dirt when they were children on the playground for getting in the way of their game of tag, and she'd chased after him, cornering him on the jungle gym, demanding an apology. He'd then told her to 'bite him' in response, and she'd done just that- kissing him and biting down on his bottom lip, habit she'd kept with him years later. She raised an eyebrow.

"Next time, don't challenge me."

They lapsed into silence for several minutes, before he finally spoke again, returning to her problem. "If you want a change, your place is at Cross Photonics is still waiting for you." Her gaze softened, and she reached out to take his hand. He squeezed, gently. "It will always be waiting for you. That spot belongs to no one else but you."

"Thank you, Ev."

That night after dinner, they both retired early, but neither could sleep. Jo slipped into Evan's room, crawling beneath the covers and snuggling up to him, as she'd done when they were younger. He held her close, pressing a kiss to her head. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I just... I know that I'm not happy in Eureka anymore. And I don't want to go back, because I don't think going back would fix the problem-"

"It would only make it worse."

She nodded, tracing the scar on his chest; the reminder of the day Brooke died. "And I didn't exactly tell Zane I'd wait for him, but-"

"But part of you has been."

"Yeah." She sighed. "What do I do, Ev?"

He pulled her tighter to his side, rubbing her back. "Enjoy however long you're going to be here. Don't think about it. Just focus on you. And when you're ready to return to the States, take your time. You don't have to rush. You're not on anyone's schedule but your own. Weigh the pros and cons, and when you feel that you've made a strong decision, act on it."

"Even if that means leaving Eureka permanently?"

He sighed. "Even if it means leaving Eureka permanently."

"Okay." She snuggled closer, tucking her arms between them as he tightened his hold on her. "And the anomalies that have been happening since I got to Canada?"

"Be careful around them, and keep me posted."

By the time Jo left Vancouver- three weeks later- she felt better than she had when she'd left. In fact, she felt nearly complete. With one last hug and kiss, she left, telling Evan that she'd keep her options open in regards to the job. The anomalies she'd encountered in Canada got worse when she crossed back into Washington state, and even worse when she crossed back into Oregon.

Unaware of her subconscious, it led her back to Eureka, but that wasn't what surprised her; so focused on her own thoughts, she wasn't even aware she'd returned to Eureka. What surprised her was the shimmering anomaly that she passed through across the bridge that led to the town; it wasn't the barrier put up to protect the town. Surprised, she turned back to look at it, only turning back when another car honked. Instantly, she slammed her foot on the break, managing to stop herself from colliding with the teenager on the skateboard. Quickly shutting off the engine, she got out of the car, hurrying to the kid. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention! Are you okay?" The kid could do nothing but nod. She released a breath. "Good. It's entirely my fault, my mind was somewhere else-"

"So you're saying I should take you in for nearly causing a hit and run?" She froze at the familiar voice, and slowly, turned. her voice catching in her throat.

"Carter." The sheriff stood not far away, hands in his pockets. He sighed, a look of mild disappointment on his features.

" _Really, Jo?_ Anyone else, I'd expect it from- Fargo, Larry, hell, even that husband of yours, but _you_?"

"Carter, look, I'm sorry. My mind was somewhere- wait. Did you say... _'husband'_?" He nodded as her brow furrowed. "Ah... I'm sorry, you must..." She reached up, brushing a strand of hair out of her face, before tucking it behind her ear. "- this has to be some sort of joke. I'm not mar-" She stopped, catching sight of the glint of gold on her ring finger. "-ied."

Her gaze slowly moved back to Carter's face. "Jo-"

"This is a joke, right?"

Carter came over, gently taking her arm. "Come on. You didn't hit the kid, so charges won't be pressed, but I think you need to lie down." Too stunned to react, she didn't protest as he walked her into the sheriff's office and seat her down on the cot in his cell, before making a quick phone call. She looked around.

Something was off, wrong.

And it wasn't just the ring on her finger. So lost in her own thoughts was she, that she didn't hear the footsteps enter the office twenty minutes later. "Jo!" Her head snapped up, eyes widening at the familiar voice.

_"Zane?"_


	4. Chapter 4

This didn't make _any_ sense.

"God, Jo, when Andy called and said there'd nearly been an accident, I thought he meant someone else, not _you_."

How the hell had she ended up back in Eureka, when she was bound and determined to stay out of Eureka? The last thing she remembered was seeing something shimmer before she crossed the bridge back into town. It had been a big enough shift that she'd not only seen it, but felt it, as though it had passed right through her body, turning ever nerve ending and strand of DNA to high voltage. It had shocked her so badly, she'd turned back to look, unaware that she was back on the streets of Eureka until the car horn had blared.

After six months apart, she was surprised to see him, then again, she was surprised to find herself _back_ in Eureka. It seemed no matter what she did, she always ended up back in the small Oregon town. No matter where she went or for how long, fate clearly had other plans. Plans that included the small, west coast town.

He hurried to the cell, pulling open the door. "What happened?"

Carter gave a brief recounting of what happened as Zane hurried to her, taking a seat beside her. "She wasn't paying attention and nearly hit the Becker kid. She missed him by maybe an inch."

"As long as they're both okay, that's all that matters." Zane replied, as Carter came to the door of the cell. "Jo?"

"There was this... this weird... glowing... shimmery thing that... that my car...that I went through..."

"I think she's in slight shock, Zane."

Hearing his name again, brought Jo out of her thoughts, and she looked up at him. His cheeks were covered in stubble, his black hair was messy, and his blue eyes bright; despite the six months in space, he hadn't seemed to lose the muscle mass he'd built up over the years, though instead of the tight t-shirts he usually wore, he was dressed in a pair of form-fitting jeans, heather grey button-down and a black blazer. _He looks good, for having just come back from six months in space._

"Jojo?"

She smiled softly. "You look good." His brow furrowed, and his lips twitched as he tried to suppress a smile. "So I take it the Astreaus was successful, then." He brow furrowed deeper.

"Um... Jo-"

But she didn't hear him. Instead, she stood, beginning to pace the small cell. "I wasn't intending to come back, it just... happened. I left on my walkabout and... and I had a phenomenal time. I did things I never thought I'd ever do. I saw Santana and Green Day in concert in San Francisco, I toured the Alamo in Texas and got to attend Mardi Gras in New Orleans. And after I'd done all I wanted in America, I went up to Canada and spent a couple weeks in Ontario before driving across the country and visiting my friend Evan in Vancouver-"

"Ah, Cross. Did he offer you your old job at Cross Photonics back?" She stopped her pacing, turning to him.

"How do you-" She stopped. Maybe she'd mentioned Evan at one point or another over their multiple late night trysts. "Never mind. Not important, and yes, he did. He said it's mine if I want it again, and honestly, I'm seriously considering taking him up on that offer." She didn't notice the looks on Carter and Zane's faces. "I..." She sighed. "Look, I don't even know why I came back. I wasn't planning to. I left six months ago, planning on not just going on my walkabout but on starting new. I don't belong here, not anymore. I... I think I've outgrown Eureka, honestly. And... us?" She turned to Zane, motioning between them. "We don't work. This... this back and forth, push and pull bullshit isn't working. It never has. We're too different, from two entirely different worlds," _Literally._ "we're... we don't exist. Not in this... or any timeline, Zane. And even if we did, we just... all we have is a... a spark. And nothing comes from a spark."

Silence settled between the trio for several minutes, as Zane glanced at Carter, who just stared at Jo as though she'd lost her mind. It took him a good five minutes before he'd managed to gather his thoughts and place them in the correct order. When finally he was able to, he spoke slowly, as though speaking to a small child. "Jo," She met his gaze. "how do you know about the Astreaus mission?"

"What kind of question is _that_? The entire town knows about the Astreaus! Half the town turned out for a shot to go to Titan, myself included, until I realized that I couldn't compete and that I needed to find myself. But you went, along with Fargo, and Holly and Grace, and clearly it was success because you're here-"

"Jo, Jo! Whoa, slow down!" Zane stood, going to her, waving his hands in front of her to get her to stop. "Jo, the Astreaus mission was scraped. No one went to Titan."

She cocked her head. "No, that's... that's not right." She glanced at Carter, who stepped back and allowed Zane to keep the floor. "When I left, the ship was preparing to launch." She reached up, rubbing her forehead, before she stopped, seeing the glint of gold on her hand, next to a very familiar engagement ring. Her gaze moved to Zane, who smiled softly at her, before taking her hand.

"Jo, listen to me. I don't know what happened, but we're going to figure this out, okay? Together, like we always do. It's why our marriage has worked out so well, we make a great-"

She shook her head. "No. We're not married!" She yanked her hand away. "We're not even... dating. We're just... sleeping together, because... because it's complicated and... and we don't fit and... and we just have a spark, and a spark isn't enough to-"

"Sometimes a spark is all you need, Jojo." She backed up, holding up her hands to keep him away.

"Stay away from me, Zane. I don't know what game you're playing, but I _don't appreciate it_."

"I'm not playing any games, Jojo." His voice was soft, but he didn't move; instead, he watched as she backed up, finally hitting the far wall. Several minutes passed, before Zane glanced at the sheriff. "Can you give us a minute, Carter?"

"Yeah. Sure." The older man glanced at the two before slipping out of the office, headed for Cafe Diem.

Once he was gone, Zane turned back to the woman watching him from across the cell. He had a sneaking suspicion something had happened between Jo's leaving and her return, and he feared it had something to do with the anomaly she mentioned in her shock. From what he could figure, just from her demeanor, she had no idea of their relationship- or that they were even in one, according to her. _According to her, it's nothing but sex. And while that may have been the case at first, it soon became so much more than that._ He watched her, saw how she watched him like an animal in a cage. A moment passed, before he rubbed a hand over his face with a sigh. _God, I really, really hope I'm wrong in my suspicions, but depending on what she says next-_ "Hey Jojo?"

She met his gaze. "Y... yeah?"

He smiled softly at her, slipping his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Can I ask you something?" A moment passed, before she nodded. "What year do you think it is?"

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "What? What... what year do _you_ think it is?" She parroted back.

He turned from her, glancing at the calendar that hung on the wall next to Carter's desk. "I _know_ what year it is. I'm asking if you know."

She shrugged, unaware of what he was getting at, but deciding to play along. "It's two-thousand-twelve."

His heart stalled, and he slowly turned back to face her. Taking a deep breath, he smiled sadly at her. "Oh, Jo. Honey, it's not."

"Of course it is, Zane. Six months have passed since Astreaus. You're all back and the mission was-"

"Jo, the Astreaus mission was scrapped in two thousand eleven, after it was discovered that someone had hacked into the network and tried to hijack it." She shook her head.

"No... no, that's not true! It's not, I know it's not! Because when I left, everyone was gathered to watch the launch-"

"Jo, it's not two-thousand-twelve. It's twenty-twenty-two."


	5. Chapter 5

She felt her heart stop painfully in her chest, and slowly, she slid down the wall. _Twenty-twenty-two? No, there was no way- but if it is, then that means... it means that I've..._

"Jo? Can you talk to me?"

She looked up, as Zane knelt in front of her. Now that he was directly in front of her, she could see it; the subtle changes in him that told her he was not of her timeline, or, the timeline she'd returned to after going back to nineteen-forty-seven. Though his physique hadn't changed, his black hair was lightly peppered with grey, there were worry lines and laugh lines around his eyes, which looked tired, as though they'd seen many, many more years that either of her other Zanes had. Though they still possessed that glimmer of mischief she knew and loved so, there was something else within them that she couldn't identify. _Like he's seen the world self-destruct and rebuild again._

He studied her silently, as she studied him. It was evident to him, if not by her words, than by her looks, that she wasn't his Jo. A _version_ of his Jo, but not _his Jo_ specifically. She was slightly younger than his Jo was, still possessed the slender, nearly rail-thin body she was known for. None of the laugh lines he recognized were there, and as he let his gaze run over her body, it was evident that this one- this version of her- had never given birth. While she possessed curves, none of them were the soft, supple curves of motherhood, and, he was pretty certain, if she lifted up her shirt, there would be no stretchmarks upon her belly. Her dark eyes were brimming with fear and worry, as though she'd seen too many disasters happening all at once.

A moment passed, before he sighed, holding out a hand. Her gaze flicked to it, before moving back to his face. He stood, and after a couple minutes, she staggered to her feet, pushing his hand away.

"So, how's she doing?" The pair looked up as Carter returned, a coffee holder with three cups and a biodegradable bag of pastries in his hands. Zane moved to rest a hand on her back, but she pulled away as Carter set everything down and opened the cell. Immediately, Jo darted out the door, headed for the bathroom. The door slammed shut behind her, and both men winced. "She didn't take it well then."

"She's thinks it's _twenty-twelve_ , Carter. And when I told her it was twenty-twenty-two, she all but shut down."

The sheriff raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest as he went and settled against the edge of his desk. "When you say that she-"

"I mean she shut down! She kept insisting it was twenty-twelve, and that we'd just come back from that six month mission to Titan. And when I told her it was twenty-twenty-two, that the Astreaus mission had been scrapped, that it had been hijacked, she just..." He shrugged returning his hand to his pocket. "I think I know what happened, but I was hoping to God that I was _wrong_ , but-"

"But her answer confirmed it." Zane nodded. "So, she's-" Carter stopped, thinking of the right words. "She's not our Jo."

"No." Zane whispered. "She's a _version_ of our Jo- I'm not sure which one or even what timeline she's from- but she's not _our_ Jo. Not the one I married, and not the one who gave birth to our children." He groaned, rubbing a hand over his face again in annoyance as he realized something. Carter removed one of the cups and held it out to the younger man. Zane didn't notice as he began to pace. " _God, how am I going to explain this to our kids?_ Or... or I guess, more importantly, how am I going to explain our _kids_ to _her_? We have _three children_ , Carter, how are they going to react to her? Or... better yet, how is _she_ going to react to them?"

"You know-"

"How do I even bring that up? 'Oh, Jo, by the way, just want to let you know, that the woman you replaced- you know, _my wife_ \- had given birth to our children in the last fourteen years, so, yeah, we've got kids; three of them, in fact'. Yeah, that would go over _really well, Carter._ "

"Zane, maybe-"

"Or... or how about this... 'so, girls, just so you know, the woman who _looks_ like your mother isn't _actually_ your mother. She's from a different timeline entirely.' Yeah, they'd take that well. About as well as her."

"Um, Zane-"

"And then throw in the issue of how we're going to get her back to her timeline, when we aren't even sure how she got here in the _first place_ -"

"Zane!" The younger man looked up as Carter grabbed his arm, shoving the coffee cup into his hands. "Calm down. We'll figure everything out, okay? This is Eureka we live in, we've survived a lot worse. One little time traveler isn't going to be that hard to figure out."

"That time traveler is my wife, Carter!" Zane snapped. "And she doesn't remember anything because she's not from our time! So where did my wife go? Did she got to her time? Or did she just... vanish into oblivion? What happens when someone time travels? I mean, seriously, the implications of what's happened, of what she's done... they could rewrite _every theoretical physics theory known to man_ -"

"Zane!" The younger man turned back to the sheriff. "Sit down, shut up and drink your coffee." After a moment, Zane did as told, taking a seat in Andy's desk chair. "We need to take this one day at a time, carefully. Find out where she's from and how she got here. Take her home, spend some time with her, introduce her to the kids, make it a game if you have to to ease her anxiety. I'll let Allie and the others know what's happened, and if we have to, we'll meet at S.A.R.A.H. and get as much as we can from her. But for now, try and keep calm. If you're calm, she'll be calm. Let's try and make this as easy for her as possible-" Before he could say anymore, Jo came out of the bathroom. She looked as though she'd spent the last twenty minutes vomiting and having a crying jag all at once. On instinct, Carter removed the second cup from the holder and handed it to Jo. A moment passed, before she reached out and took it with a soft smile.

"Thank you." She whispered, and Carter nodded, opening the bag of pastries.

"Welcome. I figured you could probably use something to eat, so I went over to Cafe Diem." Jo gave him a watery smile, before hesitantly removing a blueberry muffin. She glanced at Zane, who set his cup down and folding his arms on the desk. Silence reigned for several minutes, before Zane finally spoke.

"Jo?" She turned to him. He opened his mouth to speak, before stopping. She waited. He glanced at Carter and then sighed before standing. "Come on, let me take you home." She glanced at Carter, before turning back to him.

"Go on, Jo. It's okay. Zane will take care of you."

Carter had moved Jo's car into a parking spot, and once outside and by the car, Zane reached for the driver's door, but Jo grabbed his hand. " _Don't_ touch my car, Donovan." He looked up, meeting her gaze. A moment passed, as the pair locked gazes, before finally, Zane held up his hands and backed away.

"Right. Sorry, I forgot, you're finicky about that."

After a moment, she rolled her eyes, and put the car in reverse before backing up and moving it into drive. They made the short trek down Main, pulling up to Forty-Twenty Coriolis Loop in a matter of minutes. She smiled softly, relieved to see something familiar. "It's my house."

"Actually," Zane climbed out of the car, watching as she moved back to the sidewalk to admire it. "it's our-"

She stopped near the shiny black mailbox at the end of the path, a feeling of relief washing over her. When she'd left, the foundation on her house had barely even started, so to come back in six months and find it completely finished... well, she couldn't wait to go inside. She reached over, gently brushing her fingers over the fancy lettering on the side of the mailbox.

_4020 Coriolis Loop_

A small smile tugged at her lips as she moved to the other side of the mailbox, to see- no, that wasn't right. Her dark gaze moved up from the wording on the mailbox to the house, before darting to Zane, who stood by the car, hands in his pockets. He didn't say a word, simply waited for her to make the connection, and when she did, he went to her, holding out a hand. "Come on, Jojo. I'll explain everything once we get inside." She glanced at his hand, hesitating. And then, after a moment, she moved away from the mailbox, brushing past him and collecting her bags from the back of her car. With a shake of the head, Zane followed, allowing the retinal scanner to pass quickly over his eye before the door opened. She followed, glancing back at the mailbox.

_The Donovans_

If what Zane had said was true, and she really _was_ in another timeline, then what other surprises were waiting to jump out at her?


	6. Chapter 6

_"Good afternoon, Zane. You're home from work early."_

Jo's head snapped towards the ceiling at A.I.D.A's familiar robotic voice. "Good afternoon, AIDA. How was your day?"

Jo was only half listening to the conversation; instead, she let herself wander through the living room. While it wasn't hers, it seemed to be an eclectic mix of her and... She shook her head. The spacious sectional sofa faced the television, and the bookshelves that had been built into the walls held any number of books, nick knacks, and little things that spoke of love and family. A moment passed, before she moved past the living room, into the backroom off to the left; she'd planned on making it a studio where she could work on her cardio and MMA that she'd taken up not long after arriving in the new timeline. But here, it was a study, painted a soft green and with bookshelves galore. A fancy high-tech desk was in the corner by the window, and after a moment, Jo went to it. Notebooks and pads of paper were scattered across the desk, calculations and formulas written on them. Her gaze wandered to the photograph that sat on the desk, and she picked it up.

Her breath caught. Zane's arms were around her from behind, and she had met his gaze. They were smiling at each other, but what surprised Jo the most was the fact that it was very, very evident in the photograph that she was pregnant. Her heart stalled, and she quickly set the photograph down, hurrying from the study.

 _"... the girls are at their dance classes, and will be home after six. Jenna Stark said that she'll drop them off on her way home."_ Jo stopped, meeting Zane's gaze across the room. He sighed, but before he could speak, AIDA spoke up. _"Are you all right, Jo? I'm detecting a slight elevation of your blood pressure. Perhaps a-"_

"No thank you, AIDA." Zane cut in, going to her. "Jo's fine."

_"Are you sure, Zane? Her heart rate is also rising, and I'm detecting elevated levels of-"_

"Yes! I can take care of her, AIDA. Thank you, though."

 _"Very well, Zane."_ Came the soft reply, as he went into the kitchen.

"AIDA, can I get a glass of water with some ice?" Once the glass was in hand, he set it in front of Jo. She gave him a small smile, sipping on the water as she took a seat at the island. He watched her for several minutes, before she finally was able to gather her thoughts enough to ask,

"So... we have... kids?"

He scoffed gently, grabbing an orange from the bowl on the island top and a knife and slicing into it. "Yeah, we do." He finished, cutting the orange, handed her one half and kept the other, slowly peeling the rind away as he gathered his thoughts.

"How many?" She trailed a finger over the rind, trying to distract herself.

"Three girls." He replied, tossing the rind in the compost bin and slowly peeling the orange apart, more for something to focus on than to actually eat. "Caterina, Annaleigh and Eleanora."

"Girls? That's a lot of estrogen." He chuckled, picking up a slice.

"Yeah, it is." She watched him pop the slice in his mouth, saw him become lost in thought, before he spoke again. "But I wouldn't have it any other way." He met her gaze, and she slowly peeled the rind off her orange, before taking a bite. Silence settled through the house for several minutes before Jo asked,

"What are their ages?"

"Cate's fourteen, Anna's twelve and Ela's ten."

She choked; it took several minutes before she was able to catch her breath, even with Zane rubbing her back. "I... did you say... one of them was... fourteen?" He nodded. "No, that's not... that would mean..." A look she couldn't quite read flashed across Zane's face, and after a moment, he moved away, beckoning Jo to follow him down the stairs to the basement.

"I'm guessing, that in your timeline, we weren't exactly... lovers." Jo was surprised to find her shooting range, exactly as she'd wanted it, but that wasn't where they were going. They wandered through the shooting range, towards a door at the far end.

"Well," She stopped. Did she dare tell him that the timeline she was 'from' wasn't even her original timeline? That she was from an entirely separate timeline, one where they had very nearly gotten engaged? Or did she stick to the original assumption? "actually, the... the timeline I came from... it wasn't my original time." He stopped, hand on the door knob. "I came from another timeline, and... and on Founders' Day, Carter, Henry, Fargo, Allison and I... we ended up getting sent back to nineteen-forty-seven, and when we came back, the timeline had changed. And... we all adapted fairly well, and then-" She shrugged.

He nodded, pushing the door open and stepping inside. It was the small studio she'd planned on putting in in her house. A small smile tugged at her lips, and she turned as he picked up the medicine ball. "So you've done this before? This is actually your second time jump."

She nodded. "Yeah, it... it is."

"Mhmm."

Jo was able to look up in time to catch the ball he tossed. "What was that for?"

"Come on, throw it back." She raised an eyebrow. "Toss it back to me, Jojo."

"Why?" She narrowed her eyes. He sighed, moving to the other side of the small studio.

"Just toss it back to me." A moment passed before she did. "Thank you." He threw it back to her.

"Why are we doing this again?"

"It's a focus exercise. The rhythmic pattern of the ball being tossed back and forth helps to keep your train of thought focused on whatever you're explaining. It also elevates your heart rate, but not enough to cause major alarm, and helps to keep your pulse at a steady rate. Doctor Baxendale has been working on this study for cognitive neuropsychology for the last couple of years, and she asked all GD employees to participate." Jo nodded silently in thought. "Anyway, you've done this before."

"Yeah, with four other- well, I guess five- people. But that timeline... I was head of GD security, but I lost... you in the process. We hated each other in that timeline, and when I left, we'd finally gotten to a good place." She threw the ball back at him, a little harder than she should have. He caught it, grunting softly. With an exacerbated look, he threw it back at her.

"I take it we were... pretty close in your original timeline?"

"We'd been dating for two years, and... you... he..." She huffed. It had been a long time since she'd had to struggle to find the appropriate way to address the alternate timeline Zane. "The Zane in my timeline proposed, and I froze. And when I tried to call him, I found myself back in nineteen-forty-seven. By the time we got back, the timeline had changed and we were enemies."

He nodded, the wheels turning in his head. If they were enemies in her second timeline, and nearly engaged in her original timeline, then that meant both timelines, while traveling at the same pace as his, played out slightly differently for them both. He had to word this next question very carefully if he wanted the answer he was hoping for. "Hey Jo?" She tossed the ball back, waiting. "How did we meet in your timeline, exactly? In the original?"

She bit her lip, catching the ball and thinking. Zane suppressed the small smile; regardless of timeline, he would recognize that little quirk in any version of Jo. His wife was famous for worrying her bottom lip to shreds, especially when she was trying to understand something. After a moment, she finally answered, tossing the ball to him. "I was Carter's deputy. You..." She stopped, rolling her eyes. "The Zane in my timeline... he was going to be sent to federal prison and instead, was offered a place in Eureka, and brought there as an alternative. I'd been there for... two years by the time he got there. Annoying pain in my ass if there ever was one."

He chuckled. "And... the second timeline?"

She stopped, catching it. "From what I could figure out, he'd been sent to federal, and then brought to Eureka on parole. The old me and him definitely didn't get along, if my- her- nickname was anything to go by- The Enforcer."

He stopped, dropping the ball. A soft scoff escaped his throat as he leaned down and picked up the ball. "I haven't heard that nickname in years." She didn't move; darting back as the ball reamed her in the face. "Shit" He was beside her in minutes, as she reached up, feeling the blood begin to pour from her nose. "Sorry. I didn't realize you'd stopped catching." Without a word, Zane hurried to small cubby area, pulling out a small first aid kit. Once they were seated on the ground, he had her lean forward, pinching the bridge of her nose. His other hand worked small circles on her back. Silence settled between them for several minutes, before he finally sat her up, turning her to face him. He took the wet wipe he'd held against her nose, gently wiping the bit of blood left along the edges of her nose now that it had stopped. "There. You're all good."

"Thank you." He nodded, meeting her gaze. Silence settled around them, and Jo found herself drawn to him. Regardless of the timeline, it was still Zane, if he was slightly different. But then again, wasn't she? She was slightly different to his Jo, as she was different to the Jo that had been in the other timeline, just as she was different to whatever other Jo was in whatever other timeline there was. They were still the same people; their experiences and choices made them different to their original counterparts. Her gaze darted to his mouth, and he smirked; a glimmer of the Zane from the other timeline- hell, even the Zane from her original timeline- shone through, and she blushed.

"You're welcome." They could hear AIDA's voice in the background but thought nothing of it; against her better judgement, she leaned close, surprised to find him closing the gap as well-

\- but all too soon, the door to the studio opened, causing them both to pull away as three pairs of feet skidded to a stop in the doorway.


	7. Chapter 7

"What are you doing down here?"

Jo glanced at Zane as the pair stood; she stepped back, watching as the youngest girl rushed to Zane and he pulled her into a hug. All three girls looked like they'd just come from dance classes, with their black hair pulled back into buns and their warm ups. She smiled at the scene before her, wondering if she and her Zane would have had this some day, had she said yes, or if she'd stayed instead of leaving. "Sorry?" She snapped out of her study, barely hearing the oldest girl's question.

The teenager rolled her eyes. "What's for dinner? Or are we ordering something from Cafe Diem tonight?"

Zane glanced at Jo. "I'll make pasta." She started, a feeling of deja vu coming over her, but she quickly shook it away, following the others out of the studio and waiting for Zane as he turned off the light and shut the door. Once he'd joined her, she glanced at the girls as they made their way upstairs. She opened her mouth, but Zane beat her to the punch. "The oldest is Cate-"

"Caterina?" He nodded.

"Next is Annaleigh, and the youngest one is Eleanora."

She nodded, filing the information away for later. It didn't escape her that she would need to do as much research about her life here as she could, at least, until Zane and Carter could figure out how to get her back to... the other timeline. It would be important that she could play the part of... herself. She had a sneaking suspicion that this would be harder than she thought.

Once they reached the kitchen, Jo looked around, searching for the girls. "They're upstairs, getting changed."

"Oh."

_"Shall I fix something for dinner, Zane, since you and Jo were downstairs most of the afternoon?"_

"No thanks, AIDA. I've got it. There's nothing wrong with a little home cooking every now and then. Won't be able to rely on technology forever."

 _"Let me at least get the water boiling for you, Zane."_ He chuckled, but allowed it, as Jo wandered around the living room, drinking everything in.

"Thank you, AIDA." He watched her, saw how Jo would stop and study the pictures, the trinkets and small decorations that made the house a home. "The girls have dance three nights a week, it's the one extra curricular they're allowed that doesn't involve science." Jo stopped her examination of the elephant figurines on the shelf and turned to him. She knew what he was doing- giving her a basic rundown of information that she could use to play her part later. "After dance, they're got go upstairs and each shower before dinner." She made her way to the island, taking a seat as she watched him. "Homework has to be done by nine, and lights out by nine-thirty, except during the summer. Then it's lights out by eleven, but mainly because we're either camping or some sort of activity is going on in town."

He reached into the fridge, pulling out the bowl with the orange slices they'd left on the island; AIDA had put them in a small container in the fridge, as opposed to tossing them. On instinct, Jo picked up an orange slice, biting into it as Zane popped one into his mouth and returned to working on dinner. Cate's a freshman, Anna's in seventh grade and Ela's in sixth."

"I'd have thought any children you had would be in college by now." The glare of his icy blue eyes stopped the chuckle in her throat.

"No."

"So she has my... average smarts instead."

He reached out, taking her hand and squeezing gently. "You never have, and never will, have average smarts, Jojo. Carter is average smarts. You are not. We discussed it, but... it didn't feel right, the thought of Cate graduating early and going off to college. So we agreed that she'll go at seventeen- if she can prove to us that she's mature enough to handle it."

"Oh." Jo nodded, worrying her bottom lip again. It was a lot, and she was having trouble keeping up. So she decided to focus on Zane. Zane- from the original timeline- had liked to cook, but he wasn't very good at it, and her Zane- wait, when had she begun to think of that Zane as _her_ Zane?- enjoyed cooking, but it wasn't anywhere near a passion. But this Zane-

He seemed to genuinely enjoy cooking, as she watched him fix the sauce from scratch, tossing in a dash of basil, some parsley, a pinch of garlic salt. In fact, just from her observations alone, Jo began to realize several key differences between this Zane, her Zane and the original Zane. Not just in his age, but in how he carried himself, as though the weight of the world hadn't left a massive chip on his shoulder. She started to wonder how exactly this one had grown up, what his childhood had been like, if he'd still been the same rule-breaker he'd been in her other timelines. "Hey, Zane?"

"Hmm?"

"How... how did _we_ meet?"

He met her gaze, thinking. A moment passed, as he grabbed another orange slice and took a bite. "I'd been in Eureka two years before you showed up." She choked, coughing before she was able to speak.

"I'm sorry, _what_?"

"You thought you got to Eureka first?" He asked, finishing the slice he'd grabbed earlier.

"Well, I just... I'd been in Eureka before you-"

"Uh-ugh. Not here. I got caught stealing three point one million dollars from the War on Drugs Fund and was thrown in jail for a year, before being transferred to Eureka. Was kept under house arrest for a year and a half; by the time you showed up, I'd been free of Carter's bracelets little under a year."

"I was still the deputy, then."

"Are you thirsty?" He turned, grabbing two glasses from the cupboard. "What's your preference? Red or white?"

She furrowed a brow, before stammering, "Um... neither. Ro-"

"Rosé. I figured, just wanted to make sure. AIDA, a glass of rosé and a glass of red, please. Thank you." The two glasses filled halfway, before Zane slid the lighter wine towards her. She accepted it with a soft smile. "You were never deputy." Jo had to lower her glass and let the news wash over her before she took a sip, lest she choke again.

"I'm sorry? So... I had no job when I came here? Then why did they want me?"

"You didn't have a job in town. You were brought in as the Head of Security, on recommendation from General Theodore Mansfield. They pulled you from Cross Photonics, where you worked in Evan Cross's-"

"Special Projects." She finished.

"You had six years military experience, and... four years doing whatever you did with Cross up in Vancouver. You had enough experience and training that the didn't offer you the deputy position; they offered you the position as Head of Security, of course, by then, I had already been made Head of Section Five, so we were going to be working in close proximity-"

Jo's head snapped up. "Wait- what?"

He met her gaze. "What part's confusing you, Jojo?"

" _You're_ Head of Section Five?"


	8. Chapter 8

"Um... yeah. Stark made me Head of Section Five six months before you showed up. Why?"

She opened her mouth, before she sighed, shaking her head. "There _is_ no Head of Section Five in my timeline. And in my original timeline, Tess Fontana was Head of Section Five until she left for Australia." She watched Zane sip his wine, before he set the glass down and turned to the sauce, stirring it. Silence settled between them for several minutes, before Jo pressed her fingers to her forehead. "I'm going to have to write all this down."

Zane chuckled. "You'll get it, don't worry." She sighed, and picked up her glass again.

"So what happened after I got here, then?"

"I asked you out, we had a bad first date." She snorted. Apparently, first dates for her didn't go well, in any timeline. "But things went better on our second. After that, it was a regular thing. _We_ became a regular thing. It was an open secret that the new Head of Security and the new Head of Section Five were basically sleeping together," She blushed, unsure of why _she_ was embarrassed, since it wasn't her that he was talking about, even if it was a _version_ of her. "and a year later, we got engaged. A year after that, we were married. Five months later, Cate was born."

The gears in her head that had been working out the math ground to a halt. _Five months... and the girl's fourteen... wait..._ " _What?_ " She shook her head. "Run that by me again, Zane."

He rinsed the pasta, returned it to the pan, and stirred in the sauce. "Which part?"

"All of it."

"A year after you arrived in Eureka, we got engaged, and a year after that, we were married. Caterina was born five months after the wedding."

"Wait, so we... that means... I was..."

He nodded. "Yeah. You were. I mean, we were planning on getting married a year after getting engaged anyway; Cate just... pushed it along a little faster than we were expecting. She was the best wedding gift we ever received." His gaze softened, and after a moment, she asked,

"When was she born?"

"October fourteenth, two-thousand-and-eight."

"And when were we married?"

He stopped, thinking back. "May twelfth, two-thousand-and-eight."

She sighed. "Oh." Which meant, if she'd been four months pregnant at the time of the wedding, they'd conceived somewhere around late January or early February. Her brain could come up with nothing in response, so she grabbed her glass and beckoned for him to continue. He chuckled softly.

"Cate was a bit of a surprise, the other two-" He thought a moment, weighing his options. "I want to say Annaleigh was expected, but she really wasn't. And Eleanora was just..." He shook his head, a look coming over his face that worried Jo. "Eleanora was a disaster." Jo cocked her head, but he waved it away. "Another story or another time. Last thing I want to do is overload you on the first night." They both looked up as the girls in question came back downstairs, all three in their pajamas, their hair in various stages of drying. "Right on time. Set the table for us, girls."

As the girls moved to do as told, AIDA spoke up. _"I've already got the dining table set for dinner, Zane."_ Jo watched a glare cross his features, and he looked up at the ceiling.

"That _wasn't necessary_ , AIDA. How are the girls going to learn basic skills if you keep interfering." He glanced at Jo. "Grab that, will you?" Without a word, she grabbed his glass and followed him into the back room; the dining table was set, and the girls seated; the moon shone through the French doors, and as everyone settled, Jo felt herself watching each of the girls.

All three possessed the same long hair she did; it was black as obsidian, and their eyes were all Zane. All three were slight and slender, their skin tones a mixture of hers and Zane's. A moment passed, before the girl closest to her looked up, smiling softly. Jo couldn't help but smile back. "Um... Dad? What's wrong with Mom?" Zane glanced at his oldest, and then at Jo, who turned at the question. He caught Jo's eye, sighing.

"Right. I forgot to tell you three." He set his fork down, sitting back and folding his arms. "Your mother..." He sighed, catching Jo's gaze. She simply shrugged. Jo knew the consequences of time travel. She understood the risks to not just the traveler, but all who knew; the sanctions and lab experiments and... just general danger. It had been Jo's fear after they returned from nineteen-forty-seven, but over time, as they adapted, and things began to flow naturally, that fear lessened. She guessed that she should be afraid now, because she'd once more time jumped- even if it wasn't her fault, but for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to be afraid. Scared? Yes. Worried? Absolutely. But downright afraid?

Not so much.

Maybe it was because Zane had been so understanding; he'd looked at her like a human being as opposed to a lunatic or an experiment gone wrong. Then again, that could be because in this time, they'd married and had a family, and so he'd had plenty of time to learn how to handle crazy, if on a slightly smaller scale to hers. Contrary to the fear, heartbreak and panic she'd felt when they'd returned from nineteen-forty-seven, now, she felt... calm, almost relaxed. Like her surprise time jump was the most natural thing in the world, even though it wasn't.

To be fair, internally, deep in the back of her brain, she was freaking out, but it hadn't fully penetrated her brain yet, so she figured she still had a least a couple weeks before the meltdown would hit.

"Mom what?" The oldest asked, glancing between the two.

"Something happened today when your mother was coming back from Vancouver-"

"Like what?" Cate waited, but Zane didn't speak. She glanced at Jo, who opened her mouth and then closed it, turning her gaze to the pasta on her plate. She nervously began to twirl her fork within the noodles, the handle of the fork becoming the fixed point for her dark gaze. "Aren't either of you going to say anything?" Still no answer. "What is wrong with you two? You said something happened with Mama but you won't say what? She wasn't hurt, was she?" The older girl's head snapped towards Jo, who looked up and shook her head. "Then what is it?" She turned to Zane.

"It's... your mother..." He stopped.

She waited, glancing at Jo before turning back to Zane. "Daddy, you're acting like... really weird. Like... Mama went through a... time loop or something and... didn't come home or something." The silence that settled at the table was stronger than the biggest atomic bomb. He slid his eyes shut, releasing a slow breath, Cate's voice penetrating the silence. "Daddy?" He should have known better than to think they could hide this from the girls; they may look like Jo, but they all had his mind- or some form of his mind, and Jo's as well, which made them twice as dangerous. Slowly, he lifted his gaze to meet his oldest daughter's. "Daddy, what's going on?" Her voice was small, and she looked worried.

Zane glanced at Jo, before turning back to his oldest. "We have something to tell you three."

"I think I'm done." Everyone turned as Jo set her napkin aside and stood. She'd had maybe three or four bites before the conversation had turned, causing her to lose her appetite.

"You're not allowed to leave the table." She turned to Eleanora, who sat beside her. "You and Daddy tell us we can't leave the table until we eat everything on our plate. You haven't eaten everything on your plate, you can't leave." She forced a smile, leaning down to meet the girl's gaze.

" _Actually_ , I think I can. I'm not that hungry." She straightened, picking up her plate. "Thanks for dinner, Zane." Then she turned, striding out of the dining room. Cate turned back to her father, the strange way her mother was speaking confirming something for her. Her voice stopped Jo in her tracks.

"That's not Mama, is it, Daddy?" He sighed, standing. "Daddy?" Cate caught his eye. " _Where's Mama_?"

"Come on, clean up. We'll explain everything."


	9. Chapter 9

_"Do you want me to put that away for later, Jo?"_

"No thank you, AIDA."

_"Would you like me to fix you a cup of coffee, Jo? Or maybe a beer?"_

"No thank you."

Jo quickly put her empty plate in the dishwasher, freezing at the sound of voices. "Caterina, _please_. I'll explain everything, I _promise_."

_"Explain, what? That I was right? That's not Mama-"_

As the others came into the kitchen, Jo made a dash for the front door. It slammed shut behind her, and Zane turned, sighing as he set the plates down. A moment passed, before he moved past the girls. " _Great_. And here I was hoping she _wouldn't_ run."

"Daddy, where are you going?" He turned back to his oldest. He'd been trying to work out the best way to explain this to them, or the best way to keep it from them until they could get answers, but he hadn't counted on Cate's brilliant mind picking up on the little idiosyncrasies of her mother that she knew so well- idiosyncrasies that _this_ Jo didn't possess. Not for the first time since fatherhood had become part of his life, Zane cursed the fact that his brilliance had been passed onto his children. There were days when he wondered what it would be like to be in Carter's shoes.

"I'm going after her, because we need to explain to you what exactly happened, and I'm not wiling to leave her alone in a Eureka she's not familiar with. You three stay here and start on your homework. I'll be right back."

And without another word, he slipped out of the house.

But he didn't get far. She was sitting on the hood of her car in the driveway, staring at the ground. Tears gathered in her eyes and trailed down her cheeks, and she looked more like a lost child than a grown woman. He sighed, going to her. "I'd have expected you to be long gone by now."

"I have nowhere to go." She replied, sniffling. "The world I know... it either doesn't exist anymore or... I have no way to get back." She met his gaze, tears trailing down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, for causing all these problems."

He was silent as he joined her on the hood. "It's not your fault our daughter's brilliant. She's half of you and half of me; she has half of my mind and half of yours, and you're fairly brilliant in your own right, Jojo." She sniffled. "I knew she'd figure it out at some point, but, I never expected it to be _tonight_ , I figured, sometime in the next couple of weeks-"

"How did she? Figure it out tonight?"

Zane sighed. "There are little things that... that _she_ does," He corrected. "that Cate expects, because she's done them from the time Cate was out of the womb. And the only time she hadn't done those things, aside from now, was when she was in labor with Anna and Ela."

"Like what?" Jo asked, meeting his gaze.

He sighed. "From the time Cate was little, whenever she got back from... anywhere, she would always pull Cate into her arms and hug her, run her finger down her nose and tap the tip of it, before kissing her forehead. Always, without fail. It was there little greeting. Over time, Cate came to-"

"Expect it." Jo finished, and he nodded.

"The other thing was the wine." Jo furrowed a brow. "We rarely drink. And when we do, it's usually on special occasions, like holidays, or if we just want a night to ourselves, but _never_ during dinner."

"Because you won't compromise your brain." Jo finished; it was something her Zane had told her when she'd asked about why he didn't drink in the original timeline. He nodded.

"Right. And that's where I slipped up. It got to the point where we agreed not to drink if the other one wasn't. It was something that came about after Anna was born, but it had gotten to the point, where a glass of wine before the girls came home from dance was... normal for us. It was a way for us to unwind before we dealt with the three hurricanes that are our daughters. But they were always finished and in the washer by the time the girls got home,"

"Not... out in the open, on the dinner table." Jo finished for him, and he nodded.

"Bingo. And that's my fault. It just... became so natural to have a glass with her before the girls got home that, I was on autopilot today. So it's _majorly_ partially my fault for everything blowing up as it did. Part of me thought it was back to normal, but I forgot that... it isn't, because you're not-"

"Her."

Their gazes locked; they were inches apart. That familiar feeling tugged at her heart, and she leaned close, closing the gap between them, until the front door opened. "Daddy?" They sprang apart, and Zane slid off the hood, holding out a hand and helping Jo down.

"We'll be right there."

By the time they returned to the house, the dishes were done, the leftovers put away, and all three girls sat on the sofa, waiting for an explanation. Zane glanced at Jo, who swallowed. He took her hand, tugging her forward, but she pulled away, keeping a safe distance from the others. Zane sighed, turning to the girls. "Okay, ask your questions."

"Where's Mama?" Cate's bright gaze met his, and he sighed, glancing at Jo.

"We don't know."

"What? What do you mean you _don't know_ , Daddy?"

"I mean we don't know. We're not really sure _what_ happened. I know your mother was coming back from Vancouver, but never made it." He turned to Jo, who slowly, reluctantly, joined him. "She returned instead."

"Returned _how?_ " Anna asked, brow furrowing. Jo shivered; it was a look she'd given the others several times over the years, but to see it reflected _back_ at her...

Jo bit her lip, glancing at Zane, before she spoke.

"I'm..." She stopped. _Oh, God, this is strange._ "I'm Jo Lupo, and... I'm from Eureka. Just... not _your_ Eureka. A different Eureka." She bit her lip. "In my Eureka, I was Sheriff Carter's deputy, and..." She glanced at Zane. "I was _almost_ engaged, to Zane Donovan."

"To Daddy?" Anna asked, but Jo shook her head.

"No. In my Eureka, we had only been dating a couple years; he worked at GD as a... a scientist," She stopped, suddenly aware that she had no real idea of what the original Zane had done at GD. "and on Founder's Day, he proposed, but it caught me off guard, and I hesitated. He left, and I tried calling him, but... but something happened and... and me and... Douglas Fargo, Allison Blake, Sheriff Carter and Henry Deacon were sent back to nineteen-forty-seven. Somehow we made it back to our time, with Doctor Trevor Grant in tow, but... but it wasn't _our_ Eureka. It wasn't the Eureka we'd left behind. It was different." She began to pace, as Zane moved to perch on the arm of the sofa, letting her rant.

"Us going back in time, and Grant hitching a ride with us... it changed, nearly everything. Fargo was the head of GD, and Allison was the Head of the Medical Department, Henry was married to Grace, a scientist at GD; Carter was still the Sheriff, but he had a robot deputy, Andy. And I..." She stopped, reaching up to grasp at her neck; an old habit from when she'd worn the ring on that chain around her neck. "I was Head of Security at GD, but Zane and I... we weren't together. We hated each other. He was... a hardened felon, and I was a grunt with a gun-"

_So let's screw some expectations._

His words from that long ago day when he'd helped her train for Titan came rushing back, and she felt her eyes began to prick with tears. She stopped, taking a deep breath, turning her head to calm down. "We were nothing to each other, except enemies. And then... the five of us started seeing hallucinations of... our former people, I guess and... we needed to resolve our issues for them to go away. Well, Zane, he... he came in to talk one afternoon, and I lit into him. Told him that... that we never fit, not in that or any timeline, and that all we had was a spark..." She stopped, her eyes meeting Zane's, their conversation in Carter's jail cell rushing back. The tears she tried to stop began to slip down her cheeks. "I took the ring he'd given me in my original timeline off the chain around my neck and threw it at him, expecting him to disappear, but he caught it. Asked me why I had his grandmother's ring..."

She continued her pacing, becoming lost in the memories of a time she'd rather forget. _Keep going. You're already screwed, you might as well finish the job._ "We started sleeping together, behind everyone's back. And then the Astreaus mission came around and everyone tried for it. I withdrew, and left before the launch. I wasn't happy in Eureka anymore; I didn't feel as though I belonged anymore, and so I left to find myself. I went on a walkabout; went around the U.S- San Francisco, Houston, New Orleans, New York, before going up to Canada. I spent some time in Ontario before going cross country to Vancouver. Met with my old friend and former... business partner... Evan Cross, and he... he told me that if I wanted it, my old job at his company was waiting for me. I'd been experiencing shimmering... anomalies the entire trek across Canada, and... I guess, I came back to Eureka out of habit. Right before I came into town, I saw the one at the entrance to the bridge, and passed through it; it surprised me. I nearly hit one of the kids, but managed to stop my car in time." She stopped, thinking. "I thought I was back in my Eureka. I didn't realize anything was really different until," She met his gaze. "until Zane showed up at the station."

The girls turned to their father. "How did you know-"

"Because she thought it was twenty-twelve; she was horrified when I told her it's actually twenty-twenty-two. Somehow, someway, that anomaly she passed through sent her into our timeline."

"I'm in a timeline ten years ahead of my other one, and God knows how many years ahead of my original. And I don't know how to get home. When we went back to nineteen-forty-seven, we knew what caused it; the... bridge device exploded after it returned us to Alternate Eureka. I don't know what sent me here." She dropped onto the armchair, burying her face in he hands.

"So... where's Mama?" The youngest one asked, turning to her father. Zane sighed.

"We're not sure."

"No one really knows what happens to the original people from the original timelines. For all we know, she could be in my timeline while I'm stuck here in hers." Jo replied, head in her hands. "And since I don't know what exactly sent me here, that means I don't know exactly how to get back."

Silence fell, before Annaleigh slipped off the sofa, going to Jo. She reached out, patting Jo's head. "It'll be okay." Jo smiled softly at the girl, sniffling. Zane glanced at each of his girls, before turning to Jo.

"Since Jo can't go back to her timeline right now, because we don't know how she ended up sent here in the first place, we're going to have to make do. Which means, this secret doesn't leave this family, okay?" He made sure he held each girls' gaze. "Got it, AIDA? It stays in the family."

_"Certainly, Zane. I'll do my best to make sure that no one knows Jo's secret, and that your family image is maintained until a solution can be found."_

"Wait," Cate turned to her father. "So... we're just... we're just going to... to let her take Mama's place?"

"Caterina, it's not-"

 _"You can't do that, Daddy! She's not Mama! She'll never be Mama, even if she's pretending!"_ The girl glared at Jo before getting up and storming up the stairs to her room. The bedroom door slammed, and everyone jumped. Zane sighed.

"I didn't mean to cause this much grief-"

"You're not. Cate's just... she's fourteen. And she's... very, very attached to her mother. I'll be right back-"

"No," Jo stood. "I'll go. I'm probably the last person she wants to see, but... maybe I can make her understand that I'm not trying to take her mother's place." Zane nodded. "Upstairs?"

"Upstairs, down the hall, first door on the right at the end of the hallway." With a soft smile, Jo moved past them, headed for the stairs.


	10. Chapter 10

The bedroom door slid open, and she stepped inside; the girl was curled up on the bed, holding tight to a stuffed animal. A glare crossed her pretty features when she saw Jo in the doorway. "I don't want to talk to you!"

"I know. I know you want your mom."

"You can't replace her! What Daddy's asking is-"

"I'm not trying to replace her; that is the last thing I want to do, but your father does have a point. No one else can know, so we have to play the part; _I_ have to play the part. Just until we can figure out what happened and if there's a way I can get home-"

"To your timeline." Jo nodded, coming over and taking a seat on the end of the bed. The girl watched her, blue eyes filled with tears.

She sighed. "I understand, I do. I know it's not the same, and there's a chance you might get yours back, but I do know what it's like to lose your mother."

"Your mom died too?" Jo nodded. "Mama said Grandma died when she was ten."

"I guess there's not a timeline where my mother doesn't die." Jo whispered, before taking a deep breath. She forced herself to shake the thought away, before turning back to the conversation at hand. "I lost mine when I was five. And I spent every day after wishing for her back. I _hated_ her, for years after, because I didn't understand why she was taken away, and why she didn't come back, if she loved my brothers and I so. But over time, I began to understand that the cancer that took her, wasn't her fault, and that no matter how much I wished, she wouldn't have been able to come back to me." She swallowed thickly. "I would give _anything_ to have my mom back. And I am not here to replace yours, that's _not_ my intent. I _want_ to go home to my timeline, with my Zane, but until we can find a way to make that a possibility, I'm going to have to stay here, and I'm going to have to-" She stopped.

"To pretend to be Mama." The girl replied, and Jo nodded.

"It's just temporary, Cate, just until we can figure out how to get Jo back to her timeline." Both turned as Zane entered the bedroom, Annaleigh and Eleanora in tow. He took a seat between the two on the bed, reaching up to brush the tears off his oldest daughter's cheeks. "She won't be replacing your mother, Cate."

"I wouldn't want to. From what I understand, your mother's a... pretty remarkable woman." A tiny smile appeared on the girl's face. "But while I'm here, I _do_ have to pretend to be her. " She stopped, glancing at each of them in turn. "But I can't do that without knowing more about her, which means I'm going to need your help. If I'm going to pass as your mother until we can figure out what happened and how to get us back to the proper times, I'm going to need to know a lot about her, and her marriage, and you and your sisters, and your lives, as well as her job. Though... if I'm Head of Security at GD, it's the probably the same as what I was doing in my alternate timeline, so that shouldn't be too difficult, but either way," She waved it away. "And hopefully, we'll be able to figure out what went wrong, and fix it." She held out a hand. "What do you say? Help a girl out for a bit?"

Cate glanced at her sisters and father, before turning back to Jo. "Promise you won't replace Mama?" Jo nodded. "And it's all just pretend?" Another nod. The girl hesitated, but only for a moment, before reaching out and shaking on it.

"Now that that's out of the way," Zane spoke up, glancing at each of them. "what do you say we finish dinner? I don't think anyone ate much." The girls nodded; after several minutes, Cate followed her sisters back downstairs. Zane turned to Jo. "You did good."

"How so?"

"Handled her the same way she does."

Jo shrugged. "I know what it's like to lose a parent. The only difference between her and I is that... she had a chance to get hers back." Zane nodded, but something in his gaze tugged at the back of her brain. After a moment, he handed her something. "What's this?"

"You said you needed to write everything down. It's a notebook from the study. You won't have to write everything down; the girls, AIDA and I will help you, but if I know Jo, she likes to keep running notes, which means you probably do too." A small smile tugged at her lips.

"Thank you, Zane." They headed back downstairs, to find the girls sitting at the island, bowls of pasta before them.

"What's this? We normally eat at the table-"

"Let them have this tonight, Zane." Jo cut in. She glanced at the girls. "They've all had a bit of a shock. One night won't hurt." He raised an eyebrow, but let it be. As they all settled around the island, plates and bowls of pasta in front of them, Jo hurried into the study and grabbed a pen, returning. As she settled beside Zane, Annaleigh spoke up.

"What are you writing?"

"What I need to know to... play your mother until I can go home." She quickly jotted down what she already knew from that afternoon; the girls' names, their wedding date, and Caterina's birthday, but stopped. "Zane, when were Annaleigh and Eleanora born?"

 _"I can answer that for you, Jo."_ AIDA spoke up. _"Annaleigh was born on July eighteenth and Eleanora on April fifteenth."_

Jo nodded, quickly jotting it down. "Two thousand... ten and twelve, right?"

"Correct."

"What are your middle names?" The girls shared glances, confused. "Just in case you get in trouble and I have to- never mind."

Zane chuckled. "Caterina Elisabeth, Annaleigh Isabella and Eleanora Rosalie."

"Right, Elisabeth, Isabella, and Rosa-" She stopped, turning to him. "Caterina Isabella Rosalie?" He nodded. "My mother?"

He reached over and took her hand, squeezing gently. "I know how much she meant to you. It seemed only right that her daughter's first daughter bear her name." Jo smiled softly. She had always planned on naming any girl she had after her mother, but wasn't sure she'd be able to choose, since her mother's full name was so beautiful. Clearly, Zane understood the significance, and had made the choice for her. She turned to the girls, meeting their gazes.

"They each have... a piece of her..." He nodded. She took a deep breath, smiling at the girls before quickly jotting the information down.

_Caterina Elisabeth - born October 14th, 2008_

_Annaleigh Isabella - born July 18th, 2010_

_Eleanora Rosalie - born April 15th, 2012_

_Married: May 12th, 2008_

By the time dinner ended, Jo had filled a quarter of the notebook. After the girls went to bed, Zane joined her on the sofa. They sat in silence for several minutes; Jo spent the time looking through the girls' baby books; she didn't have the courage to watch the videos of pregnancies and births Zane had recorded; clearly, in this timeline, he was very much involved, and Jo found that she liked knowing that. "Come on, time for bed." She looked up.

"Oh, I... I'll be okay down here, if that's all right." He raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?" She nodded.

"Yeah. I can stretch out on the sofa, and... I'm not really that tired yet."

A moment passed. "Okay, but if you decide the sofa isn't comfortable enough, you're welcome to come to bed." She smiled softly at him.

"Thank you, Zane." He nodded, leaning down and pressing a quick, chaste kiss to her lips. The pair stared at each other, both surprised by the kiss. For Jo, it was something entirely new, for Zane, it was something he'd done every night for the last sixteen years; it was habit for him. It would have been strange to him to _not_ kiss Jo goodnight- regardless of the Jo before him.

"I... um..."

"Well, yes..." An awkward silence fell this time, before he reached up, running a hand through his hair. "I'm gonna-" He pointed to the stairs, and Jo nodded, watching him turn and hightail it out of the living room. "Goodnight."

She nodded. "Goodnight."


	11. Chapter 11

She sighed, sitting up. Her gaze drifted to the clock on the microwave in the kitchen.

_1:15 A.M._

Not long after the girls had gone to bed, Zane had brought down a pair of plaid pajama bottoms and a tank top for Jo to change into. She'd curled up on the sofa, and gotten maybe an hour or two of sleep. She knew if she tried to go back to sleep, she wouldn't succeed. Her brain was on active, and it wouldn't shut off until it was satisfied. After a moment, she got up, slipping silently into the kitchen. _"Can I get you anything, Jo?"_

She stopped, only to recognize the house's soft whisper. "Just coffee, AIDA, please."

_"Certainly."_

"Can't sleep either?" Despite her best efforts, Jo jumped and let out a little yip, turning to see Zane standing not far away, his hair tousled from sleep. A moment passed before she shook her head. "Good thing we have a three-day weekend. Forty-eight hour sonic cleaning starting on Sunday." He clarified at her odd look. She nodded. "AIDA, coffee, please?"

_"Of course, Zane."_

Cups in hand, the pair returned to the sofa, sitting in awkward silence, before Jo spoke up. "There's so much- details of your lives, the girls, work... a whole history that's entirely separate to mine. I don't know how I'm going to learn it all."

"You don't have to learn it all tonight. We don't know how long you're going to be here; it's going to take a while for us to figure out what sent you hear in the first place. You'll have time to learn." She nodded, running a finger along the rim of her cup. "But, to make it easier, and since we've kind of already started with this... how about we focus on the girls and our marriage. I'll help you with work when we go back on Tuesday... though technically, you aren't due back at work until Thursday."

She opened her mouth to ask why, but stopped, nodding instead. Taking a sip of her coffee, she asked, "Tell me about it. Caterina's birth."

He chuckled. "It was... a surprise. We definitely weren't expecting a pregnancy. We didn't rush the wedding, that was the date we'd picked after getting engaged. We weren't going to change it just because we'd gotten pregnant." He set his cup down and got up, going to the bookshelf. A moment passed, before he returned, opening the album he held.

The photos from the wedding were beautiful, Jo realized. "Instead of the church, we were married in the park. It was... one of the best days of my life." She studied the photographs; the dress her other self had worn was beautiful. Off the shoulder sweetheart with an A-line skirt and a wide, black sash around the waist that tied in a bow at the back. "I thought she was pregnant-"

"She was; it was this specific type of technology, I'm not really sure what kind, but it was able to hide her pregnancy, not that she was very big to begin with. She didn't actually start showing until about... eight months." Jo raised an eyebrow.

"Well wasn't she lucky?" He chuckled, watching her page through the photographs. "I'm sure everyone put the pieces together by the time the baby was born, though."

"Oh absolutely, but there was nothing they could do about it, nor did anyone truly care at that point."

"Was it difficult? The pregnancy?" He wrinkled his nose.

"No, not really. She was healthy, Cate was healthy, which was all I really cared about. The labor was... typical labor, I guess. Long and hard, but worth it. I actually managed to remember to record it; her idea. Something to show Cate when-"

"She got older, so she would understand what exactly her mother went through, how it was all out of love. My mom made one for each of my brothers and I when we were born, too." She blushed, biting her lip. "Could I... actually, never mind. It's her video, and it would be... wrong of me to..."

"No, it's fine. I don't think she'd mind, especially since-" He stopped, and silence settled between them. A moment passed, before Zane finally spoke again. "AIDA, can you pull up Caterina's video, please?"

_"Of course, Zane."_

Though most smart houses had walls that replaced televisions, the television in this house- at least in this reality- was mounted on the wall and connected to AIDA's internal circuits, meaning whatever video was chosen would play on the screen. "You're really okay with me watching this?" He met her gaze, reaching out and squeezing her hand.

"Of course." He got up then, slipping off to the bathroom. After he'd left, Jo turned back to the video. It was strange, watching the other version of herself go through nine months of pregnancy, when she herself had never considered children being in her plans.

_"That's it, Jo, another push! Good girl!"_

_"You're almost done, Jo. Her head's out-"_

_She relaxed back in Zane's arms, catching her breath. "The sooner she's out, the better." She choked on a laugh, looking up at him. "I am never doing this again, Zane Matthew." She reached up, gently patting his cheek. "Our first and last."_

_"Somehow I doubt that, Jo." Zoe replied, popping into the frame._

"Zoe was on internship at GD when Cate was born. She was thrilled to help with Cate's birth." Jo turned, to see Zane leaning against the back of the sofa.

"And you let her help?" He nodded. "I guess we're still sisters, no matter the timeline."

"Yep. Your brother Luca recorded the birth for us."

"Luca was there?" He nodded. For some reason, the thought of her older brother being there calmed her. Even though this wasn't her timeline, the thought of her and at least one of her siblings having a strong relationship in at least _a_ timeline was comforting.

_"On the next contraction, Jo. Okay?" She nodded and sat up with Zane's help. Her face contorted in pain as another contraction grabbed her around the waist and she bore down, letting out a scream. "That's it, Jo! Keep pushing, that's a good girl!"_

_"I'm so proud of you, Jojo." She met his gaze._

_"Zane, I can't."_

_"Yes you can. You're almost done."_

_"One more push, Jo." Allison spoke up, and Zane grinned._

_"Hear that? One more push and she'll be here. Okay?" She nodded, bearing down again; the sound of something snapping was drowned out by her scream, and soon the new cries of newborn baby girl._

_"She's got her Mama's lungs!" Zoe spoke up, as Allison laid a newlyborn little girl against Jo's chest. It took several minutes before she would let go of Zane's hand, but when she did, the pain that flashed across his face was evident._

_"Oh, God, honey I'm-"_

_"Don't worry about it, love-"_

"Broke my hand in four places." Jo blushed, despite the fact that she hadn't done anything. He chuckled softly. "Took Allison two hours to set my hand back properly." She reached for it, and he let her take it. It didn't look as if anything had happened to it, other than a couple light scars long the base of his thumb and the center of his palm. "She apologized profusely. I told her it didn't matter. It was a memory from the birth of our daughter. One I'd carry with pride." Jo nodded, trailing her fingers over the scar before letting go.

_The kiss they shared was soft, tender. "Thank you for giving her to me." He grinned, nudging his nose against hers._

_"I should be thanking you, Jojo. You're absolutely amazing."_

He sighed as the video faded. "I should get back to bed." As he put their cups in the sink, he turned back. "Do you want to join me?" She met his gaze. "Even if we don't sleep, we can talk. And no matter how comfortable the sofa is, the bed is much more comfortable."

Her brow furrowed. "Are you sure?" He nodded. After a moment's hesitation, she got up, joining him. They climbed the stairs in silence, but she stopped in the doorway. Zane turned back.

"It's okay." A moment passed, before she finally joined him. Once both were settled down, Zane shifted to face her. He reached up, brushing a strand of hair off her cheek. "Goodnight." She whispered it in return. Perhaps it was being back in a semi-familiar place, or the fact that Zane- even if he was a slightly different Zane- was by her side, but soon, Jo was out like a light.

The next morning, Zane awoke to find Jo curled up on his chest, sound asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

She awoke to a hand in her hair, and for the briefest of moments, it felt as though she were home. After several minutes, she lifted her head, meeting his gaze. "It wasn't a dream, was it?"

"No." She sighed, settling back against his chest, despite everything in her screaming to move to the other side of the bed. He continued to run his fingers through her hair, lost in thought.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For taking your wife from you."

He snorted softly. "You didn't. Something happened, that forced you to cross timelines. Just so happens that you were both coming back from Vancouver when it happened." She lifted her head, meeting his gaze.

"What was she doing in Vancouver?"

A soft sigh escaped his throat, and he wrinkled his nose. "Visiting that friend of hers-"

"Evan Cross?" He nodded. "Evan and I have been friends for years. We dated briefly in middle school, lost touch, reconnected near the end of high school. I worked at Cross Photonics for two years; hell, I was partially responsible for getting that company off the ground. I was one of the first people he hired for his Special Projects group. I spent two years in Vancouver helping him pitch that company to investors, and two years working there, before Eureka. It was Evan that pushed me to take the job as deputy. Though Evan told me that my old job is still there if I want it."

"So there are some similarities between you two." He whispered, meeting her gaze. "She worked at Cross Photonics for four years, doing whatever she did. She's never said, and I've never pushed." Silence settled between them, before he lowered his hand to her back. She stiffened, and Zane instantly removed his hand. "Sorry. Habit." A blush covered her cheeks, and she met his gaze.

"No, it's... it's all right. If I'm going to... we need to be realistic..."

"In public, where it matters, but we don't have to be behind closed doors. We have no appearances to keep up here." Zane replied. "AIDA and the girls all know; this is strictly a family secret. As far as the rest of the town knows, you're the same Jo. it's just here in the house that things are different."

She kept quiet, missing the feel of his hand on her back. "Right." After several minutes, Zane sat up, checking the time. "Where are you going?"

"For a run. You coming?"

"She runs?" A small part of her couldn't believe that her married, mother-of-three counterpart was a health nut. _She_ was a health nut, but she'd always been one, ever since her time in the military. For some reason, she couldn't picture her other self being one.

"Course she does. You seriously think she's that domesticated?" He rolled his eyes, going to the dresser and pulling out a pair of underwear, a pair of leggings, a sports bra and a tank and tossed them to her. "Just because she's a wife and mother doesn't mean she's not into being healthy. If anything, she's more of a health nut now than she was before the girls were born. She's also Head of Security at GD, kinda requires her to be in top shape." Jo nodded, and proceeded to get dressed. She found a pair of running shoes by the closet and slipped into them while Zane was brushing his teeth, and then joined him in the bathroom. He reached into the cabinet, handing her a fresh toothbrush still in the packaging.

"Thank God. That would be just a little weird." He chuckled internally, before spitting and rinsing his mouth.

"Wouldn't be the weirdest thing I've seen, trust me." He gently patted her hip before slipping out of the bathroom, stopping when he realized what he'd done. "Sorry." She raised an eyebrow at him in the mirror. "Habit."

By the time she was finished brushing her teeth, the awkwardness was gone and the calm returned. It stayed as they took off on their run. Despite her arrival, her second day in this new Eureka was... not as bad as the first had been. Then again, the day had only just started, and there was still plenty that could go wrong, not to mention work the next week- though from what Zane said, she wasn't due back at work until Thursday. As they came to a stop at the Archimedes statue in the center of town square, Jo doubled over, hands on her knees.

 _Okay, six months on walkabout with no exercise regimen wasn't the brightest idea. I should have definitely kept up with my workout schedule while away; or, at least my running schedule._ He chuckled softly, watching her.

"Someone's out of shape." She glared at him.

"I should know better than to go without running. Six month walkabout... while good for the soul- I think- not necessarily good for the knees." She released a slow breath and straightened.

He chuckled. "You'll be back to your regular running schedule in no time, Jojo." She froze, meeting his gaze, a tiny smile tugging at her lips. As they turned back and began to walk home, she asked,

"Zane?" He met her gaze. "What... what else... do we do? I mean... you and her?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like... pet names, pet peeves... inside jokes... that sort of stuff."

He shrugged. "Not much. The closest that comes to a pet name is... we both have a habit of calling each other 'babe,'" He thought a moment. "As for pet peeves, hers have always been small guns, big egos and-"

"Overly critical boyfriends?" His laughter was soft, and he shook his head.

"Overly critical boyfriends, an overly critical husband, GD's special brand of stupid, and Carter's habit of whining midway through whatever disaster is being stopped."

She snorted, meeting his gaze. "That doesn't surprise me. Carter does tend to do that. And I can understand about the scientists. They seem to be a very, very special brand of stupid. I didn't mean _all_ of them." She amended at his glare. "But for a bunch of geniuses, they don't exactly have a handle on fixing their own problems."

The girls were still asleep when they returned to the house, and they headed upstairs, still engaged in conversation. "Do you want the shower first-"

He waved her away. "Go ahead."

"You sure?"

"Yes. Now go."

The water was warm, and she let herself relax under the spray with a sigh. It had been slightly strange, waking up in Zane's arms, and knowing that it wasn't her Zane. Yes, it was a version of Zane, but not the original one, nor the one she'd grown to love over the last year and a half. This Zane had a life and a family; he'd done what the original Zane hadn't and made it official by marrying her. And he'd clearly grown up. Sure, the Zanes in the other timelines had grown up as well, this one... he hadn't just grown up, he'd matured, shedding his 'I'm-smarter-than-everyone-trouble-with-authority' attitude.

And Jo had something to do with it.

Or maybe it was the combination of Jo and their daughter that had forced this Zane to grow up as he had. But either way, he was vastly different to the Zanes she knew. And yet... and yet, there were aspects of the original and her Zane that shone through, and she'd only been around him for a day.

But the spark in his eyes when he looked at her, the way his lips curved upwards in the barest of smirks, the way his mouth caressed her nickname, all were small glimpses of the Zane she'd lost from her original timeline and the Zane she'd left behind on her walkabout. _I just get... glimpses, of who he used to be. Like... quick film cuts on the editing room floor. If I stay here long enough, will I see more of them? Will I get part of him back?_

She stepped out of the shower, shaking the thoughts from her head as she wrapped a towel around herself. She nearly collided with him however, and jumped back, trying not to stare at the muscles of his chest. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention-"

"No, you're fine. I should watch where I'm going-"

Their gazes locked, hunger flickering through both, before they looked away. "Right, well... it's all yours."

"Great. Thanks."

Her gaze darted to the towel at his waist, and she could feel his gaze drinking in her curves. Without a word, they parted, a blush creeping across both their faces at the very evident realization that they had both considered locking the bathroom door and 'sharing' the shower.


	13. Chapter 13

By the time Tuesday rolled around, Jo had spent her weekend learning all she could about her job as Head of Security at Global Dynamics. It wasn't much different than it was in the Alternate timeline; the only true difference being that the Jo from this timeline had been in the position longer.

"You don't have to come in today. Technically, she's not due back until Thursday-"

"I know. I want to go in." She sighed, going through the clothing hanging in what was her half- or, her counterpart's half- of the closet. "I guess it's a good thing that she has more than just pants suits. My counterpart in the Alternative timeline seemed to possess nothing _but_ pants suits. And so much black. I understand it's professional and all, but still. A little color is a _good thing_."

"She was the same way the first year or two. After Cate was born, she started adding color to her wardrobe. Who knew having a _baby_ would open up a _whole world of color_." He replied sarcastically as he reached into his half of the walk-in and grabbed a white button down. She chuckled, watching for several moments before grabbing a royal purple blouse, black blazer and pair of slacks.

Once she was finally dressed, she pulled her hair back into a slick ponytail, and then slid into a pair of heeled boots. "How do I look?" He met her gaze as he fixed the black blazer he'd pulled on, blue eyes slowly roving over her figure.

"You look good."

She blushed, letting her gaze move over him, taking in the dark wash jeans he wore, and how they looked nice, paired with the white dress shirt and black blazer. "What happened to the tight t-shirts?"

He wrinkled his nose. "Becoming Head of Section Five... kind of requires a different wardrobe." She chuckled. "I take it _he_ wore nothing but t-shirts?" An eyebrow rose at the hint of jealousy she noted in his words.

"The original not so much; he did more... t-shirts layered with button downs and zip hoodies. The Alternative one... he wore a lot of tight t-shirts and tank tops and zip hoodies."

"On occasion I'll wear a t-shirt, if it's one of those days when we're off work and not going anywhere or doing anything, but for the most part... the more professional the better." She nodded. "Come on. We'll drop the girls off and then head in."

They found the girls sitting at the island in the kitchen, dressed and ready for school, bowls of cereal in front of them. "You three all ready?" They nodded. "Homework's done?" More nodding. "Okay. Go get in the car." Jo followed, stopping in the doorway.

"Zane."

"What is it?"

She bit her lip. "My codes-"

"Relax. It's all the same; your DNA doesn't change, regardless of the timeline. And if there's a problem, we'll think of something. Okay?" She nodded.

"Oh, I left my phone back in Eureka- my Eureka- when I left on my walkabout. Point of a walkabout is no technology."

"Okay. I guess it's a good thing she left her phone when she left for Vancouver." He picked it up off the counter, placing it in her hand. "Whatever your password is for your computer at work in the other timeline is the same here, I think. I'm fairly certain all codes and passwords are the same, regardless of timelines. I doubt you two are that different." Jo nodded. "Just relax, you'll be fine."

After dropping the girls off at school, Zane pulled into the small parking lot in front of Cafe Diem.

"You sure about this?"

"Routine remember? Easier to hide behind our normal routine." He slid his arm around her waist, meeting her gaze. "Trust me, babe."

She nodded, feeling herself relax, bracing for the onslaught of questions as they entered the eatery. It didn't look any different than the Cafe Diem in her timeline, or in the original. Carter and Allison were sitting at a table with Henry and Grace having breakfast, and Vincent was bustling around running and taking orders. She recognized a few of the other scientists from GD, but overall, it was fairly quiet for a normal Tuesday. Jo was surprised to see Grace and Allison, but quickly screwed up her features to hide it. _Of course they'd be here; Grace was in the original timeline also, you just didn't interact with her because she worked at GD and you were the deputy. And Allison... well, it's Allison._

Zane waved to the four; Henry and Grace turned as Zane released her waist and took her hand. "Hey Vince."

"The usual for you two?" The cafe owner asked as he passed by; Zane gently tugged on her hand as they headed over to the table where Carter and the others sat.

"You know us too well, Vincent." Zane replied, sliding his hands into his pockets. Jo kept to his side, arm loosely around his. She tried not to look nervous, but it was hard to hide. "So, how's the kids?"

Carter's gaze darted to Jo, but it was Allison that spoke. "They're doing good."

"Good."

"How was your trip, Jo?" She started, surprised that Grace had spoken. "I've always loved Vancouver-"

"My trip?"

"To Vancouver? You left a month ago. You don't remember?" Allison asked. She furrowed a brow, turning to Zane, who slipped a hand out his pocket and took her hand, squeezing gently.

"Oh, right!" She closed her eyes briefly. "Sorry, Allison, I... I got back on Friday and... went home and crashed for the weekend." She could feel Carter's gaze boring into her skull, and tried her hardest to ignore it. He of course knew what happened when she returned; he'd taken her in. "It went really well. Really, really well. A little too well." She stopped, something passing over her features that both Carter and Henry caught. Zane watched her, knots forming in his stomach. "I just... it was nice to get away from... all the responsibility for a while. That's all; I majorly needed time away. This town tends to grate on the nerves."

Henry chuckled. "That it can."

"It better have, considering GD was without their Head of Security for a month straight." Zane muttered, and Jo turned to him, brow furrowed before catching on.

"That building _better_ still be standing _, Dr._ Donovan." She caught the surprise in his gaze, but didn't think to comment on it. "If we get there and I find it completely gone thanks to you _egghead scientists,_ I _swear,_ I'll quit. Just because the Head Doctor goes away on vacation for a month, does _not_ mean the lunatics get to run the asylum."

He rolled his eyes, sliding an arm around her waist. She relaxed into his side. "Oh, would you _relax_." She didn't miss the hint in his voice. "It's still standing."

Silence fell as the pair locked gazes. "Yeah, well, with you as Head of Section Five, God knows for how long." He glared at her, and she smirked. While not _as_ sensitive in regards to his ego as the original Zane was, probably because he'd had longer to grow up, this one still had a bit of a sensitivity issue in regards to his ego. "Remind me again why I recommended you." She stopped, realizing what she'd said; the others watched her, slightly confused.

"Okay, that month away _clearly_ messed with your brain, babe. I was already Head of Section Five by the time you took the position as Head of Security, _remember_?" A look crossed her features, and she forced a smile, turning to him, catching the forced needling.

"Right. Sorry." She bit her lip, worry filling her gaze as it darted to the four at the table.

"Hey," He reached up, tugging her chin back. "It's okay." Their gazes locked. "You've been out of town for a month doing... whatever you were doing up in Vancouver. It's normal to forget things when you're away from home for that long. As long as you don't forget the girls and I, we'll be okay." He kissed her quickly, and she lowered her head, taking a deep breath.

"As if I could forget the girls. The amount of pain I went through bringing those three into the world, no one could forget that." He chuckled, pulling her into his side. A glance back, and he nodded as Vincent set their coffees on the counter and returned to getting other orders ready. With a kiss to her cheek, he headed back to the counter, leaving Jo alone with the other two. She took a deep breath, reaching up to fidget with her ponytail.

"You okay, Jo? You seem nervous. Here." Henry got up, pulling an empty chair from another table over. "Sit."

After a moment, she did as told. "Fine, just... being back at work after a month away-"

"Vacation time's over, return to work jitters setting in." Carter said, meeting her gaze, and she nodded. "Returning to work jitters are always fun." She looked up as Zane set her cup in front of her.

"Thank you." He nodded, pulling another chair over and taking a seat beside her. Silence fell between the six, before small talk erupted; Jo sat between Henry and Zane, listening and observing. Occasionally, she'd catch Carter's eye and smile, but the older man seemed to be trying to figure something out.

"You okay?" She turned, meeting Zane's gaze.

"As okay as I'll ever be."

He reached over, taking the hand that rested on her thigh and playing with her fingers, leaning close. "Just relax. Nothing to worry about. It's just coffee."

She nodded. "It's not the coffee I'm worried about. I've been away from work for a month, you know I hate to miss work."

"God, I know. If it wasn't for the girls, you'd live at GD." He muttered, and she turned to him, opening her mouth, but he glanced at his phone, checking the time. "We'd better get going." He stood, and Jo followed, grabbing her cup. "Good to see you all again." She nodded, taking Zane's free hand; he nodded to the owner of the cafe. "Thanks, Vince. See you at work, Grace. Henry. Allison." Zane glanced at the sheriff. "Carter."

She nodded to each of them, before following Zane out of the cafe. Upon returning to the car, she climbed into the passenger side and quickly deflated against the seat. "Thank _God_ that's over. I don't know that I've ever been so nervous in my life."

He chuckled. "You did fine, Jojo. Just one piece of advice, try to relax next time."

As he put the car in reverse and backed up, she asked,

"Was she really gone for a month?"

"Yep. Went up to Vancouver."

"Without you and the girls?"

"I had work, the girls have school, and she just..." He shook his head, glancing at her. "we needed time apart."

"Oh. So... what I said about needing time away... she really needed time away."

He sighed. "Yeah, she did."

Silence settled between them, and she fiddled with the lid of her cup. "Let me guess... she didn't... necessarily need time away from the girls, but... _you_." He didn't reply, but his silence spoke volumes. She turned back to the scenery, and let her thoughts wander.

"Our marriage wasn't perfect. In fact it was downright rocky, near stripped of its foundation. We needed the month apart. We needed more than a month, more like six. I needed to focus on the girls and work and she needed to focus on herself, figure out what _she_ wanted. We kept up a united front for the rest of the town and the girls, but... behind our bedroom door... let's just say there was more... distance between us than Earth and Pluto." She turned to him as he pulled into her parking spot in the below ground garage of GD. "Ready?"

She grabbed his arm. "Zane?" He stopped, waiting. "I'm sorry."

He took her hand, squeezing gently. "It's okay, Jojo. Not your fault." With a sigh, he released her hand, getting out of the car. "Come on. I have a feeling I'm going to have to walk you through your first day."


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Section 9 mentioned in this chapter is *not* canon. To my knowledge, the cannon Sections of Global Dynamics are: 
> 
> Section 2: Quantum Frequency Project  
> Section 3: Records, and Primate Studies   
> Level 4: Fargo's first office (original timeline), EM barrier control room  
> Section 5: Military Technology   
> Section 7: Air defense   
> Section 8: Technology that could allow travel between parallel worlds   
> Section 14: Nuclear Testing   
> Lab 27 : Biosphere   
> N.E.A.T. Lab Near Earth Asteroid Tracking  
> Non-Lethal Weapons Lab  
> Substation C 19: Emergency Pneumatic Vacuum Tube Communication System  
> Bottom Floor: Non-realistic fusion reactor (setup and ability to overheat are more conceivable with a fission reactor)
> 
> \- Licia

"Zane?"

He let her move through the doors first, following behind. A young brunette that Jo recognized as Caitlan Hertz, an old childhood friend of hers from Jersey who'd attended the Naval Academy and served eight years, leaving the Navy as a Senior Chief Petty Officer, nodded to her as she stood guard. He turned back to her. "What is it?" As she moved to speak, she stopped; GD looked exactly the same as it did in the Alternative timeline and the original. A sigh of relief escaped her, at least some things never changed. Suddenly, she forgot what she was going to ask, and turned to him. "Feels good to be home?"

"Yeah, it does. No matter the timeline, GD always remains the same."

He chuckled, beckoning her to follow. As they headed in the direction of her office, she remembered what she wanted to ask. "Um... who's the director?"

"Henry."

" _Oh thank God_." He stopped, turning to her. "In the original timeline, Allison was Head of GD, and in the _Alternate_ timeline, Fargo was the Head of GD-" She backed up as Zane choked, having taking a sip of his coffee as she'd been talking. Quickly, she rubbed his back; he waved her away after several minutes. "Sorry, honey." He met her gaze, blue eyes wide. "What?"

Finally able to catch his breath, he waved it away. "Nothing, just... the thought of _Fargo_ being Head of GD is... mildly terrifying."

She chuckled. "No one was more surprised that us when we got to the other timeline." They continued walking, before she spoke up again. "So... what does Fargo do?"

"He's the Head of Section Nine."

"Wait..." She grabbed his arm, stopping him. "that's... that's the... section that... that focuses on... on robotics and... and Artificial Intelligence..."

"I know."

"Zane, it's _Fargo_. The man never met a button he didn't push, or a piece of technology he didn't drop. And you're telling me that he's in charge of-" She stopped, and Zane sighed, taking her by the arm and pulling her into a small alcove not far from the elevators. "Are you sure that's a good idea, putting Fargo in charge of an _entire section_?"

"Easy, Jojo." He reached up, brushing his knuckles over her cheek reassuringly. "He still has his tendencies, but he's grown up a lot." He sighed, seeing the worry in her eyes. "Look, you're Head of Security. You have several people under your control who can check up on him if you're that worried." His slid his arms around her waist, pulling her close. "Relax." She sighed. "It's scary, I get it. I'll be here if you need anything."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." He leaned down, capturing her lips in a soft kiss.

"Nice to see you're back, Chief." The two pulled apart at the new voice-

"Gwen!" The redhead started as Jo pulled away from Zane, throwing her arms around her in a hug. Her green eyes darted to Zane, who thinned his lips and shook his head. "It's so good to see you again! I can't believe you're here!"

The Head of Section Five ran a hand over his face with a sigh, as Gwendolyn Rowley slowly extracted herself from Jo's arms, the question on her lips low and hurried in his direction. _"What's wrong with her?"_ Once she'd stepped away, she gave Jo a quick smile. "Of course I'm here, Jo. I'm you're second-in-command, why wouldn't I be?" She glanced at Zane, who spoke up.

"Sorry, Rowley. We had a... chaotic weekend, with her getting back from Vancouver and all. I _told her_ she needed to wait until Thursday to come in, but she never listens to me." The other woman nodded, as Zane came up, resting a hand on Jo's back. "Easy, Jo. I know it's been a month, but you don't need to tackle her." A blush came over her cheeks, and she turned back to the other woman.

"I'm sorry, Gwen-" The redhead waved it away. She, Jo, Caitlan Hertz and Tamsen Blythe had all grown up in Jersey together; the children of military families, the girls had turned to each other, their friendship strengthening with each move to a new base, no matter the miles that separated them. All four had gone into different branches of the American military, and all four had ended up in Eureka, though at different points. Tamsen had been here the longest, serving as the deputy for Sheriff Cobb; Rowley and Hertz had arrived six months before and after Jo had arrived to take the position as Head of Security, respectfully, and upon realizing who the deputy was, Jo had requested Blythe on her team. The four women had a strong bond, and worked well together. If Jo needed help with something, she usually turned to the girls.

"No, it's okay, Jo. I get it. No worries." Zane didn't miss the glance she threw at him, though.

"Did you need me?"

"Oh, right. I have those quarterly incident reports for you to go over. Everything seems fairly normal, just... a couple major malfunctions in Section _Five_." Both women turned to Zane, who sighed.

"What did you do?"

"I did nothing, Jo. Besides, they were _taken care of_." Jo rolled her eyes, turning back the the tablet with the incident reports.

"Yeah, you cleaned up your mess this time, Donovan, just don't make it a regular occurrence, please. Michaels and the rest were traumatized the last time, and GD doesn't have the time to break in a new cleaning crew." She squeezed Jo's arm. "I still don't understand why you married him, but I've chalked it up to being a glutton for punishment." Jo grinned as Rowley giggled, not missing the glare Zane threw her. "Welcome back, Jo. Eureka wasn't the same without you." She glanced at Zane. "Donovan." Then, without a word, she was gone.

"I messed up, didn't I?" Zane wrinkled his nose.

"Just a little, but we were able to save it." They stepped into the elevator, heading up to Jo's office on the second floor. Once through the doors, Jo stopped. It looked exactly as it did in the Alternate timeline, with the exception of a couple small, personal touches here and there. Zane leaned against the wall, sipping his coffee as he watched her walk around the office. The small coffee maker and cups sat on the bookcase next to her holding cell, the gun rack was at the back, behind the desk- she stopped. The normal papers and folders, computer and various other trinkets sat on her desk, similar to the desk in the other timeline, but then she laid eyes on the two framed photographs that sat in the corner.

One of them held a photograph of Jo and the two youngest girls, captured in the backyard of their house; they were playing in the leaves that were scattered about the backyard, leaves clung to their hair and clothes, their smiles as bright as their eyes. But it was the second other photograph that brought tears to her eyes. Taken in the backyard at the same time as the other photograph, Zane was sitting on the steps of their back porch, Cate sat on the step beneath him, reaching up to hold her father's arms that were wrapped around her shoulders. He was resting his chin to the top of her head, and Jo was amazed to see the resemblance between Zane his oldest daughter.

 _They do say that the firstborn daughter tends to look like their father._ She could see a lot of Zane in Caterina and it wasn't just her eyes and hair. She and Zane both possessed heart-shaped faces, and Cate clearly had the same face shape; her skin was a mixture of her parents- it was slightly darker than Zane's, and slightly lighter than Jo's. She was an absolutely beautiful mixture of both her parents. The white sweater she wore was a little big on her small frame, and her long black hair was swept over her shoulders.

She met Zane's gaze. He pushed himself away from the wall, going to her desk and moving around to stand behind her. "It's exactly the same, the only thing that's really different is the... photographs." He nodded, gaze going to the photographs.

"She looks like you." Jo met his gaze, quiet.

"Don't you mean her?"

He shook his head. "You're still her, regardless of the timeline." She nodded, setting the tablet with the incident reports on the desk before picking up her cup and taking a sip.

"So, show me around? Help me get reacquainted? You know, since I've been gone a _month_." He chuckled, meeting her gaze, and stepped aside.

"Right this way, Director Donovan."

As they left the office, Jo couldn't help but ask, "Is it Chief or Director?"

" _Technically_ , you're the Director of Security for Global Dynamics. Your _informal_ title is Head of Security. Among the-"

"Eggheads?"

He chuckled. "Among the eggheads, those in positions of 'power' at GD, we're known as 'Heads'- Head of Global Dynamics, Head of Security, Head of Section Five, Head of Section Four,' but on official documents, it's 'Director'- Director of Global Dynamics, Director of Section Three, Director of Section Five-"

"Director of Security."

"Right. Why?"

"No reason, I've just always been curious."


	15. Chapter 15

Jo had spent her day making the rounds to each section, checking that nothing was out of the ordinary; basically what she'd done in the Alternate timeline. She made sure to stop by and visit Allison in the Medical Bay. In the original timeline, she and Allison were barely acquaintances, in the Alternate, they were slowly becoming friends, but in this timeline, apparently, Jo's relationship with Allison was akin to something of a sibling relationship, much like she had with Zoe. Allison looked on Jo as the younger sister she never had and vice versa. She left the Medical Bay promising that they'd go to lunch sometime later in the week.

By the time they returned home, Jo was mentally exhausted. She peeled off her blazer, tossing it on the back of the sofa and promptly folding into the buttery leather. Zane chuckled, fixing two cups. He held one out to Jo before taking a seat beside her. "Exhausted?"

"Normally, no. I got used to dealing with the crazy experiments you eggheads produce at GD, but that's not... I think it's... pretending to be her that's worn me out. Having to watch what I say and around who, be careful of my reactions and pretending to have knowledge of things I know nothing about-"

He chuckled softly, reaching out and patting her knee. "You'll get used to it." They sat in silence for several minutes, before she turned her head back to him.

"Hey Zane?"

"Hmm?"

She thought a moment, trying to find the best choice of words for what she wanted to say. It had been working its way through the back of her brain for the last two days, and she just _couldn't let it go,_ even though she knew she should. "If I'm prying just tell me, but... what happened between you two?" He sighed. "You don't have to tell me, I just... noticed that Vancouver is a... sensitive subject with you."

"She went up to visit Cross. The last time I talked to her, she said something about him offering her her old job back. We got into an argument, about it; I told her that she couldn't go gallivanting off to Canada when she had a job and family back here in Eureka, and she told me that what she did wasn't any of my concern." He met her gaze.

"Do you think she was cheating?"

He fell quiet, sipping his coffee, lost in thought. "I don't know. I don't want to believe it, but... now I'm not so sure. She was really set on staying in Vancouver, and I told her that she had to come home so we could at least _talk_ in _person_ before she made any set decision. I think that's why she was heading back. Which means, that's when you entered whatever wormhole you did and switched places, or took her place or... whatever happened."

She sighed; it wasn't right, that the version of her that lived in _this_ timeline would take Zane for granted. If anything, her Zane- the original Zane, the one who had proposed before the Alternate timeline shift, who _hadn't_ served in federal prison, who'd come to Eureka a bright-eyed if slightly jaded kid, who understood nothing of romance and ran at the first sign of discomfort- had taken _her_ for granted, and she'd allowed it, without seeing it. Or maybe she had seen it, and just chose to ignore it, because she was in love with him. But then that begged the question- was she really in love with the original Zane? Had she ever been? Yes, she loved him, but had she been _in love_ with him? Honestly, she couldn't be sure.

She knew she was in love with Alternative Zane, the one in the timeline she'd just left, the one in the timeline she'd _finally_ gotten adjusted to. She had fallen for him quicker than she'd fallen for the original one, and it had worried her, but they'd developed a comforting repertoire with each other over the past year. It had never occurred to her that there was a version of her, in another timeline, that was _not_ in love with Zane. Or that had fallen _out_ of love with Zane. To Jo, it didn't seem possible.

They were written in the stars, as sure as the theories he studied and the rules she followed; wherever there was a Jo Lupo in a timeline, there would be a Zane Donovan, and they would end up together, one way or another. Or, that was what Jo had thought. Clearly, she was wrong.

Her gaze shifted to him, and he met it with a small smile. "Hey, don't worry, Jojo," He reached out, patting her knee before getting up and going into the kitchen. "whatever happens, must mean it's meant to be. Whether we stay together or divorce..." He shrugged, and turned to the chicken he'd removed to defrost earlier in the day. Jo followed, taking a seat at the island.

"Zane-" She reached over, grabbing his hand. He stopped, meeting her gaze. Without a word, he squeezed her hand, moving closer, until they were face-to-face. "It's not fair to you if she's cheating, especially not with Evan. I _know_ Evan, he's not the type-"

"You know _your_ Evan, not this one." She furrowed a brow at his words. He sighed, glancing at the clock. The girls would be home from dance in an hour. He glanced upwards. "AIDA, would you be willing to do something with the chicken I pulled earlier? Jo and I need to talk."

 _"Certainly, Zane. Any preferences?"_ He glanced at Jo, who shook her head.

"No, whatever you can come up with, we'll eat it."

_"Of course. I love with when you let me cook for you, Zane."_

He chuckled softly. "I'll keep that in mind, AIDA." He turned to Jo, nodded for her to follow him into the study. Once the door shut softly behind them, he took a seat on the small love seat, setting his cup on the small coffee table as she joined him. Silence fell between them for several minutes, before he spoke. "Every timeline is different. You know this, you've... jumped timelines. I've only studied them in theory."

He sighed, resting his elbows on his knees and folding his hands. "Each timeline is the original to the people _within_ it; each choice made sent those people on that specific course for their lives. I grew up in Boston; my dad left when I was six, played absentee father with occasional appearances when it matter to him until I graduated high school, I got three Phds by the time I was fifteen; despite the fact I'd been kicked out of _both_ Yale and MIT. I know, 'child genius', I can see it all over your face." He'd stood, pacing back and forth in front of the small coffee table and love seat. She held up her hands.

"I had a string of bad relationships over the years, stole three point one million from the War on Drugs Fund and put it into Mrs. Spadaro's account for her scholarship anonymously at nineteen-"

"Crashed the New York Stock Exchange," She added, and he turned to her, mid-pace, mouth open to respond.

" _Allegedly_."

She raised an eyebrow. _Like I haven't heard that response before._

He waved the fact that she knew that bit of information away and continued. "Look, I know _my_ history, I know the choices I made to get me to this point. I saw my father walk away like my mother, my sister and I weren't worth it-"

"Wait, back up, sister?"

"Yeah. Claudia." Jo opened her mouth to speak, but stopped. "Well, half-sister, really. From one of my dad's... trysts," He rolled his eyes. "left her on our doorstep when she was five and I was eight, and walked away. Mom took her in, knowing she was my half-sibling, raised her like her own. Unfortunately, Claudia's got a few..." He stopped, clearing his throat. "mental heath issues, and by the time I went away to college, Mom had no choice but to commit her to a psych ward." Jo nodded, falling silent. "I don't know where she ended up; she'd be in her... twenties by now, I think. I was keeping track of her but... after I came to Eureka, it wasn't as easy." He met Jo's gaze. "I decided at eight-years-old that if I ever some day ended up having kids- God forbid- that I wouldn't walk away like my dad did. That they would have their father, even if I was raising them alone, I'd be there for them."

"Which is why you're so attentive to the girls." He nodded, hands on his hips. "Well, I don't know you well," She stopped, thinking. "But from where I'm sitting, you're a wonderful father."

He smiled softly. "Thank you. I'm trying." He returned to his pacing. "As for her... I don't know much about her life before Eureka; I know she worked at Cross Photonics, and that she and Cross were good friends. I'd heard rumors that they'd been in a relationship when she came to Eureka, but it was never confirmed as to whether it was true or not. I met Evan Cross once, when he came down to help with a project in Section Two; I didn't care for him. She and I... we'd... been together for about.. six years by then, and had Cate and Anna, and she'd just gotten pregnant with Ela. I didn't think much of it, at the time, but ... she almost seemed to _resent_ the pregnancy... I brushed it off hormones, but..."

"Resent the pregnancy? Or do you mean resent the fact that she was carrying her husband's child?" He turned back to her, catching the tail end of her muttered remark.

"Sorry?"

Jo sighed, realizing she wasn't going to get off that easily, and lowered her cup. "You said she seemed to resent the pregnancy. I said, don't you mean that she... that maybe she resented the fact that she _wasn't_ carrying another man's child? That she was carrying yours?" The light that flicked in his gaze tugged at her heart.

"Honestly, Jojo?" He asked softly. "I've spent far too much time wondering that exact thing myself."

"Does she not love the girls?"

He returned to his spot beside her on the love seat, seeming to sink into it. "God no, she adores the girls, but... I don't know, something just... just seemed off. She seemed off, as though she... didn't belong here, or with me." He sighed, returning to the topic at hand. "Whatever change is made in another timeline changes the future of _that_ timeline. You showing up and her... going wherever she went, for instance. But no one knows exactly how many changes need to be made to completely change a timeline. What did you do to change the other timeline the first time?"

Jo thought back to it, trying to remember exactly what they'd done. "Grant came back with us. He... managed to get Carter's phone to work or... fixed it some way to get it to work... so that he'd come back with us." Zane sat up. 

"And that changed the timeline." She nodded.

"Well, _yeah_. Of course it did. I mean... trees appeared in the rotunda, a nineteen-forties jet showed up in Cafe Diem, a point-fifty Aviation Tracer bullet complete with casing ended up in my chest." She didn't notice the look of horror that crossed Zane's face at her mention of the bullet. "Where are you going with this?"

"Um... a... a bunch of smaller changes will affect things in different ways, gradually, but a bigger change will affect things-"

"Faster?" He nodded; she raised an eyebrow. "What? Why are you looking me like that?" 

His teeth slid out to grasp his lower lip, and after a moment, he gathered his courage and spoke. "Did a... bullet really appear in your chest?" 

She nodded. "Yeah, don't you re-" She snapped her mouth shut, remembering that he wasn't from _that_ timeline. "Mhmm." Slowly, she unbuttoned the first two buttons of her blouse, exposing the faint scar left from the surgery, but before Zane could examine it, AIDA's soft voice interrupted them. 

_"The girls are home from dance, Jo, Zane, and dinner is ready."_ The pair quickly sprang apart and Jo hastily re-buttoned her blouse before they stood and left the study. Without a word to each other, AIDA or the girls, they settled at the dining table. _"Was it something I said?"_


	16. Chapter 16

The weekend had passed by quietly; Jo spent time in the shooting range in the basement, taking her frustrations out on the targets. Jo always felt better if she were able to shoot something. That had been her motto from the start- shoot first, ask questions later. Over time, however, she'd adapted it to Ask questions, then shoot, then ask again.

Midway through reloading a round, the lights flickered, and she looked up, turning to see Zane standing on the stairs. She quickly removed the protective head gear, slipping them around her neck. "Hey. What's up?"

He came down the last few steps, making is way to her. "Feeling better?"

She snorted softly. "I always feel better when I'm able to shoot something." He watched her finish reloading.

"I figured. Come on, how 'bout we take the girls to lunch? Get out of the house for the afternoon." She met his gaze.

"But that would require Cate to be seen with us. We'd have to act like a family, when we're not."

He rolled his eyes, reaching up and resting his hand on her wrist when she lifted the small handgun she was practicing with. "Jo," After a moment, she sighed, lowering the gun. "I think it'd be good for us to spend some time out as a family-"

"But we're not a family, remember, Zane?" She asked, returning the gun to its place in the rack and locking it. She returned the key to its small area, along with the muffs, and followed him up the stairs. "You and the girls are a family, I'm not part of it. I'm the alternate version that ended up taking your wife's place."

"Be that as it may," They stopped at the top of the stairs, and he reached out, sliding his arms loosely around her waist. "we can't spend all our time at home. Besides, I think it'd be a good idea to get out for a while. And it's just lunch; it'll give us a chance to make sure we can-"

"Pull off fooling the entire town?"

He chuckled softly, pulling her closer. "Not exactly how I would have put it, but... yes." Their gazes locked, and he studied her for a moment. "How good are your acting skills, Jojo?" She opened her mouth to speak but stopped. He chuckled, brushing the flyaway strands from her cheeks. "So what do you say? Take the girls and go to lunch?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

Their lips met in a soft kiss; he nudged his nose against hers for the briefest moment before returning his mouth to hers. However, before the kiss could get too heated, someone cleared their throat, and Zane reluctantly pulled away from Jo, to find Caterina standing on the stairs to the basement, her Pointe shoes slung over her shoulder. A look of dissatisfaction was on her pretty features, and after a moment, Zane tugged her out of the way; the girl slipped passed them, heading up the stairs to her room. "Hey Cate, you and your sisters get ready. We gonna go out to Cafe Diem for lunch-"

The girl's door slammed shut, and he sighed. Jo gave him a sad smile as she pulled away. "I'm sorry, Zane. It's because I'm here that she's acting this way. If I wasn't-"

"If you weren't, it'd be a hell of a lot harder to explain her mother's disappearance. At least with you here, we can maintain some semblance of normality, even while we try to figure out what sent you here in the first place and how to reverse the timeline." He reached up, gently caressing her cheek. "Now go take a shower and get changed. We should be able to make to Cafe Diem before the rush."

She blushed. "Okay." He leaned close, pressing a soft kiss to her lips before letting her go. It startled her, as much as the kiss before had, as much as every kiss they'd shared since she got here had. She hurried upstairs and showered quickly. Once back in the bedroom, she pulled on a pair of underwear and a matching strapless bra, looking through the clothes in the closet-

Her breath hitched, as she slowly pulled out a familiar white, strapless sundress. Tears began to clog her throat, and she forced herself to take a deep breath as memories of the original Zane began to flood her mind. _No, put it back. It's... it's too painful..._ She quickly returned it to the closet, and turned to find something else, but her gaze kept going back to the dress. Before she could second guess herself, she grabbed it from the hanger and pulled it on, before slipping into a pair of simple black flats. Her hair now dry, she turned to the mirror, swallowing thickly.

_"You brought a rose, I wore a sundress. You said something smart that made me feel dumb."_

She quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks. It had been a year, maybe longer, since that disastrous first date had sent her fleeing from Cafe Diem, but maybe that had been the first warning sign that she and the original Zane wouldn't have worked out. Their intellects were on two entirely different wave lengths. They were just... too different. But here, from what she could understand, they'd gotten along good, really good, from what Zane had told her- especially if they'd gotten married two years after meeting.

Jo did the math in her head. _A year and a half- or a year?- of dating, a year's engagement, a wedding the next year along with a baby, another baby two years after, and one two years after that... Cate was fourteen, and her parents had met roughly three years before her birth, so... seventeen, nearly eighteen years together, fourteen of those married... roughly four years short of twenty... and she's possibly cheating... if only I were so lucky to have even five years with my Zane-_

"Jo, you ready?" She looked up; Zane stood in the doorway, surprised to see her in the sundress. She glanced down at the outfit, suddenly nervous.

"I can change into something else-"

"No, no, it's okay. You look nice."

A blush crossed her features as she grabbed a light black shawl, wrapping it around her shoulders. As they headed downstairs, she finally spoke up. "I... wore this exact same dress on our first date in my original timeline. It... didn't end well. I have bad luck with first dates."

He studied her briefly as he headed to the door, waiting for the girls. "You aren't the only one. Honestly, I'm amazed we made it to a second date. Things didn't go well the first time." She cocked her head to the side, and he sighed. "Sunday brunch at Cafe Diem. I brought a rose, she wore... _that_ sundress." He thinned his lips briefly. "I said something smart that made her-"

"Feel dumb?" She finished, and he met her gaze.

"Yeah. But I made up for it-"

"On the second date." He nodded.

"Right." She could see the calculations running in his head as he tried to figure out how their stories matched up. "Wait... so... did that mean it happened in your timeline too?"

She nodded. "Mhmm. In the original timeline. And let me guess how the second date ended-" Before she could finish, his lips met hers in a soft kiss, but it didn't last long, at the sound of soft giggling. They turned as the two youngest girls joined them.

"Where's Cate?" Zane asked, stepping back from Jo. The girls shared a glance, before,

"Still upstairs, Daddy."

With a sigh, Zane moved past Jo and the girls, going to the bottom of the stairs. "Catie." Silence met him, and he grit his teeth, telling himself that murdering his oldest daughter because of her attitude was not a viable defense that would hold up in court. "Caterina Elisabeth, you better be finished getting ready!" More silence. _"Get down here, now!"_ After several minutes, footsteps were heard, and soon the girl in question appeared at the top o the stairs. Slowly, she came downstairs, in a denim skirt, nice shirt and sandals. "Good. Now come on, we're going to go out and have lunch together as a family." Then, he turned, heading back to join Jo as they left.

"We won't be a family as long as _she's_ here in Mama's place!"

Jo reached out, taking his hand and squeezing gently in reassurance. He squeezed back and then turned to his oldest child. "Cate, until we can find out what happened and how to fix it we have to make do. That means keeping up appearances. Okay?" The teenager crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at Jo. Then, without a word, she stormed past the pair, her sisters following. Once everyone was settled, Zane backed Jo's car out of the driveway, and made the short drive to Cafe Diem. They passed Carter, Allison and the kids on the way into the cafe, nodding to them as Zane slipped his arm around Jo's waist.

Just as Allison and the kids were heading to follow, Carter stopped, something catching his eye. "Jack? Are you coming?"

"Go on in, Allie, I'll be there in a few." He turned back to what had caught his attention, and his gut twisted.


	17. Chapter 17

The cafe was busy, but not too busy; not like it was on Sundays, partially due to the nice weather. More people were either spending time outside or taking picnics or hosting barbecue parties, which meant few were interested in being inside, especially on such a nice day. No matter how many times she'd been in the cafe since coming to this new timeline, Jo was always relieved to see it was the same as the one she'd left.

As they settled down at one of the tables, Zane and Jo fell into soft conversation about something, and Annaleigh and Eleanora were looking at something on the tablet they'd brought with them; only Cate wasn't paying attention to whatever had captured her sisters' attentions. She sat slumped in her chair, arms crossed over her chest, narrowed gaze directed at her parents. A moment passed, before Jo said something and got up, kissing Zane quickly before disappearing towards the bathroom.

"Jeeze Louise, you look like someone just stole your boyfriend right out from under your nose. What's got your panties in a twist, little Donovan?"

"Jenna!" Cate looked up as Eleanora sprang from her seat, moving over to throw her arms around the older girl. The older girl laughed, wrapping the youngest Donovan sister in a hug; Annaleigh was soon up and hugging her as well. Zane stood, going to the girl.

"Good to see you again, Jenna. When did you get back?"

"You too, Uncle Zane. I got in last night."

"Um..." The pair broke apart, to see Jo standing behind them. "Am I interrupting?"

"Jo!" Her brow furrowed briefly, before Zane quickly spoke up and the younger woman went to her, reaching for a hug. Jo let her, a look of confusion on her face that Zane caught, and he grinned. From her seat, Cate rolled her eyes.

"Babe, you remember Jenna."

"J... _Jenna Stark?_ Ah... look at you! It's good to see you again!" For her part, Jenna didn't take Jo's surprise as anything out of the ordinary; she knew Jo'd been away for a couple months, and her own schedule didn't exactly allow her to come home a lot of the time. Still wrapped in Jenna's hug, Jo caught Zane's eye, _'How old is she?'_

He chuckled softly as Jo's eyes widened at his response. _'Twenty.'_

"It's so wonderful to see you again, Aunt Jo. How was Vancouver?" A quick smile flit across the Head of Security's face, before she spoke up as they broke apart. Jenna took her hands.

"It... went well. I just... needed some time away. The Eureka craziness, you know how it goes." The other woman nodded, her dark curls bouncing. In the Alternative- and even the original- timeline, Jo had absolutely adored Jenna, taking every opportunity she could to babysit for Allison, to the point where the girl had called her Auntie. But to see that same little girl- who'd been a _toddler_ last time Jo had seen her- a grown woman in this timeline... it shocked and surprised her, but she managed to hide it well. "So, how long are you here for?"

Jenna shrugged. "I've got a few weeks vacation I need to take, I figure, why not come home and see everyone? To be honest," She leaned close to Jo, eyes lighting. "I've kind of missed the Eureka craziness." Jo chuckled, as Jenna turned to the girls, gaze latching onto Cate, who hadn't moved from her chair. Despite the six years between the two, Jenna felt fiercely protective of Cate Donovan; she was the little sister Jenna never had, and it was her job to listen to her early teenage woes and worries and give her the advice she thought appropriate for the situation at hand. And Jo and Zane, her stepfather's best friends, well, they were lucky to have a girl as bright as Cate.

"Jenna, remind me again, what you do." When both turned back, it was to Zane slipping an arm around Jo's waist and tugging her close. Cate rolled her eyes and made a small noise in the back of her throat. The others ignored her, though her sisters glanced at her, confused.

"Ah... I'm a U.S. Marshal."

Jo's wiry grin returned. "A U.S. Marshal. Huh. I bet I can think of someone who's proud of that career choice." She glanced over her shoulder in time to see Jenna's parents enter the cafe. She swallowed thickly. Now that there wasn't the awkwardness of trying to hide that she wasn't of this time, Jo could actually let herself study Allison.

The older woman was just as beautiful as ever, her milk chocolate skin smooth, small laugh lines around her eyes, her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail; there were streaks of grey in her hair that she was apparently embracing. She wore a pair of jeans and a light blouse, a young man by her side that Jo was having trouble placing. Before she could say a word, Vincent had brought their drinks over. "It was wonderful to see you again, Aunt Jo. We have to get together sometime before I leave."

"Of course, Jenna. I wouldn't dare miss spending time with you." Jenna gave her and Zane each a hug before waving at the girls and joining her family. Once everyone was again seated, Jo turned to Zane, fiddling with the straw of her smoothie; Vincent had brought the drinks over when Jenna had arrived. "So, are you going to tell me _exactly_ when Jenna was born in this timeline or am I going to have to figure it out myself?"

Zane sighed, meeting his gaze as he sat back in his chair. "You're a smart woman, Jojo. Figure it out." She raised an eyebrow.

"Okay... if it's... twenty-twenty-two, and Jenna is twenty, then..." She stopped, quickly doing the math in her head. "She was born in two-thousand-two." Zane nodded. "But... that's doesn't make sense." Her gaze locked on his. "Jenna was born in... in two-thousand-nine. She should be a year younger than Cate, not six years older."

Cate rolled her eyes, and Annaleigh kicked her sister under the table. Zane leaned close, his lips brushing Jo's ear as he spoke. "See, Jojo, that's the thing when you end up ten years in the future." She met his gaze.

"I thought this was an alternate timeline." He opened his mouth to speak, but the waitress arrived with their food. Once she was gone, Zane continued, their heads low and close together.

"It is. What's ten years in the future for _you_ , is the regular timeline for us. Jenna was a toddler when I arrived in Eureka. I've watched that kid grow up. And so have you. Her." He amended, pulling away and turning to his meal. They ate in silence for several minutes before Jo glanced at him.

"Anything else I should know?" He turned to the girls; Annaleigh and Eleanora shook their heads, but Caterina kept her gaze on her food. They fell into easy conversation before something clicked in Jo's head. "Hey, Zane?"

"Elbows off the table, Ela." The girl did as instructed, and he turned back to Jo, who, for her part, watched him with a wistful look in her eyes. The fact that he cared about something as mundane as elbows on the table... "Jo?" She met his gaze. "What were you asking me?"

"Oh, um... we're the only ones that know, right? You haven't told anyone else?"

Zane picked up his coffee cup, taking a sip. "No. We're the only ones that know. Us and AIDA. Why?"

She bit her lip, her gaze darting past him to where Allison and Carter were sitting. The sheriff was watching her with a look on his face she'd only seen once before- when it was discovered that Grant had hitched a ride back with them from nineteen-forty-seven. It made her uncomfortable. She turned back to Zane, before leaning over and kissing him soundly on the mouth. Her dark gaze opened midway through the kiss, darting to Carter, who quickly looked away. When she pulled away, Cate finally spoke up, the snark in her voice directed at Jo, though her words were directed at Zane.

"Gross. It was bad enough when you and Mama would do that during lunch, but now you have to do it with _her_?"

Zane ignored his daughter, meeting Jo's gaze before looking behind him, catching Carter hurriedly turning away from them. He returned his gaze to Jo's, suddenly understanding her worry loud and clear.


	18. Chapter 18

_Two Weeks Later_

By the two week mark, Jo _still_ hadn't fully accepted that she was stuck in this... alternate timeline to her Alternate timeline.

Things got a little easier; work was a piece of cake, saving the town- and by extension, the world- from scientific catastrophe at the hands of egghead scientists was routine and something she knew well, regardless of the timeline. She'd taken Zane's cues and had slowly started learning how to parent the girls, and while Annaleigh and Eleanora- still young enough to understand that Jo's time here was most likely temporary, but old enough to understand that they needed to play the part of the loving family to the rest of the town to keep Jo's secret- accepted Jo as a temporary mother-figure until their real mother returned, Caterina was understandably putting up a fight.

She refused to call Jo 'Mom' at home- something neither Jo nor Zane had enforced, but the younger girls had started doing so out of normal habit, and the difference between Caterina and her sisters was noticeable- and barely acknowledged her in public, except when she had to. She took the advice Jo gave with sneers and snarky, backhanded comments, often defaulting to Zane in attempt to ice Jo out; to most of the town, it was a teenager not getting her way and trying to play favorites with her parents; only the Donovans, Jo and AIDA knew the truth. Jo took it all in stride, remembering the grief she had given her dad at that same age. And given that the change in the timeline had been a major upheaval in the entire family's lives, Jo didn't blame the girl for reacting as she was. She just wished she'd cool it with the backhanded comments.

Zane was working on figuring out what exactly had brought Jo to this timeline, and how to get her back to the other one, but there was only so much the Section Five Head could do without raising suspicion. And so he mainly worked on it when he was home, locking himself in the study off the living room after dinner and staying until late if he'd figured something out, or looking over it on their days off if he hadn't. It really depended on the physics and the science.

Jo often came downstairs in the early morning hours to find him sitting at the island, poring over the work of Novikov and Deutsch, and any other physicist that had ever looked at time travel even offhandedly. It had become a puzzle Zane couldn't finish, and for a man who loved puzzles, it was beginning to drive him crazy. Not even necessarily for the possibility that he could send Jo back to her time and get his wife back- at that point, he wasn't even sure he _wanted_ his wife back, honestly, especially if his suspicions were correct- but more for the implications to the his field they would bring.

Science was Zane's first love; Jo knew that. He'd all but told her in the original timeline that she was his second love. No one could replace science for Zane, not his girlfriend, not his children, not even his wife. It was why he didn't drink, didn't smoke, didn't do drugs or anything really, that messed with his brain. And in the original timeline, it had irked Jo to no end that she had come second to a field of study, especially when he'd done so little to prove they actually fit. And in the Alternate... in the alternate time, yes, science had been Zane's love, but he'd also made time for her. They'd started to find a semi-healthy balance between work and whatever they had been-

But here? In this time?

Science was still Zane's first love, but that love had waned greatly over the years; it not longer had the hold over him it had in the original timeline. And there was no semi-balance between work and life outside GD. Here, from what Jo could figure out, Zane had a healthy love of science; enough that he enjoyed his work as Head of Section Five, enjoyed the challenge of a new experiment, but he also knew not to bring it home. It was healthy because it stayed at GD. And while that love of science had waned over the years, his love for Jo- and later one, for their girls- had grown.

He put them first before work; when Tesla had called three days earlier, saying that Ela had suffered second degree burns from a project during her Advanced Chemistry class, Zane had come and gotten her, before they'd rushed over to Tesla. The burns hadn't been bad, but the fact that Ela had gotten hurt had set Zane's fatherly hackles raising. They'd signed the girl out of school and taken her to GD's infirmary, where Allison had checked her out at Zane's request. Yes, it was obvious that science had taken a backseat to fatherhood for Zane. Seeing Zane with the girls made Jo wonder if, had they actually gotten engaged and then married, the original Zane would be as attentive, loving and caring to their children. Somehow, Jo highly doubted it.

And then there was _Carter._

In the original timeline, he'd been her superior, her boss, her partner, hell, even her best friend. In the Alternate timeline, though they no longer worked in the same office, they were still on the same level, of sorts, both being in positions of power and security. But in this new, alternate, different timeline, Jo had arrived in Eureka after Carter; she had never been his deputy, hell, she didn't even know if they were friends. Clearly, she was good friends with Allison- probably because they both worked at GD, and so saw each other constantly- enough that she was still 'Aunt Jo' to Jenna- but Carter? She truly had no idea. And it pained her that she had lost her friendship with the sheriff.

So it was one late evening sometime in the two weeks when Jo was startled awake by something outside. " _... going on?_ " She peeled herself off Zane's chest and buried her face under the cool pillow she started with every night, and then discarded in favor of Zane's warmth and heartbeat. For his part, Zane hadn't objected; if he had, she'd know. This timeline, the Alternate timeline or the original, passive-aggressive was passive-aggressive, and Zane would always, no matter how old or how long they'd known each other, fall into that category. It was just one of the many things that drove her nuts about him.

He grunted, shifting onto his side and grabbing her around the waist. With a squeak, she felt herself being tugged back into his arms, as he buried his face in her neck. At first, Jo had wondered if her sharing the same bed with Zane as her counterpart had was a good idea; it briefly crossed her mind that she was the other woman- even if that 'other woman' was another version of this timeline's original- but after Zane had told her about the high probability that her counterpart in this timeline _had_ been carrying on an affair with this timeline's Evan Cross, well, guilt and disgust at what _she_ was doing were low on the totem pole of what she should be feeling. Besides, the spark that ignited between them from the moment she arrived in this timeline and met him in Carter's cell, had been building over the last two weeks and was getting harder to ignore. They had always had that spark, from the moment they'd met, and always would, no matter the timeline.

The banging continued, and Jo kicked him in an effort to get him to investigate as she returned her head beneath the pillow. " _Zane_... door..."

He groaned, tightening his arms around her waist. "AIDA... check the door..." He buried his face in her shoulder, and after several moments, sleep seemed to return to both of them as silence filled the room.

_"Sheriff Carter is at the door, Zane."_

"What... important... time of night..." Jo's muffled voice came out from beneath the pillow.

_"He has Caterina with him, Jo."_

"That's-" Any thoughts of sleep were abandoned as Jo lifted the pillow away from her face. Zane pushed himself onto his elbow, meeting her gaze as she leaned back to look at him. They shared a glance. "Did she say-"

"- Caterina?" Zane finished at the same time; it clicked in both their brains at exactly the same moment, and they scurried out of bed, hurrying downstairs. Yanking the door open, they found Carter standing on the front step, holding Cate by the arm, in the rain. The teenager looked sullen, and Carter annoyed. _"Caterina."_ The girl glanced at Jo before averting her gaze.

"Andy caught her at the edge of town, heading _out_ of town," The bite in his voice was laced with annoyance at being awoken from bed at one in the morning to catch his friends' runaway daughter, but he hadn't wanted Andy returning her; besides, he wanted to talk to Jo and Zane about something that had been going on in the last couple weeks, and figured this would be the perfect in to do so. "with this." He held up her backpack.

The pair sighed, and Zane pushed the door open. "Thank you for bringing her back, Carter." The sheriff nodded, gently pushing the teenager into the house with the backpack before turning to go; both Jo and Zane looked exhausted, and what he needed to speak with them about could wait until the morning. They all needed their sleep. Jo reached for Caterina, but the girl pulled away, glaring at her, and so instead, reached for the backpack. "Caterina Elisabeth, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I'm not going to spend _another moment_ in this house as long as _she's here_!" Cate snapped; Carter stopped midway down the path at her words.

"Cate." Jo's whisper was soft; her gaze darted to Carter, who turned back. "You ran off. You can't do that-"

"Don't _act_ like you're my mother! _You're not my mom!_ "

"Hey, don't speak to your mother like that." Carter spoke up, returning to the door; the girl turned to glare at him, and in that moment, she looked so much like Jo it was scary. "She's just doing her job as your mother-"

 _"Cate._ _Please._ "

"You don't get it, do you, Carter?" The girl turned to the sheriff. She was _angry_ , at this whole situation- at her dad for so easily accepting this... this impostor from another timeline into their home, into their lives, at her sisters for agreeing to the ruse, at Jo herself for showing up and taking her mother's place... at her mother, for going on that stupid trip up to Vancouver, for leaving them to continue her affair with Evan Cross, even when her dad was so wonderful, so sweet, so _in love with her_... that she had the gall, the very nerve, to walk away for a month to 'find herself', when she was really just going up to Vancouver to fall into Cross's bed again, as she'd been doing for years, while her husband had turned a blind eye. And then this... this alternate Jo had shown up, and she was acting the way a mother _should_ act, the way a wife _should_ act, and it made her _angry_ , that a _version_ of her mother could be what her own mother _couldn't_. So okay, Cate was more than angry, she was furious. Out and out, absolutely, blackout raging _furious_.

Carter sighed. He checked his watch. It was well past one thirty in the morning. He should be home in bed with Allie, not listening to an irate teenager rant about how angry she was at being caught for running away. But he knew the girl needed to talk, to vent, and so played along, with the hope she'd rant quickly enough to burn herself out so he could go home and everyone involved could go back to bed. "What don't I get, Cate?"

 _"She's_ not _my mom!_ " Jo buried her face in her hands with a groan, and Zane took a deep breath. He was trying _not_ to lose his temper, but with each word that left his daughter's mouth, it was getting harder to keep in check. She was going to put them all in danger, simply because she was angry that her mother was gone and she was taking it out on Jo. " _She's not even from this timeline!_ She's a... a _time traveler_ -"

The sheriff glanced at the couple before turning back to the girl, but before he could speak, Jo interrupted him. "Just ignore her Carter. She's upset because she got caught running away, though why she felt the need to run away-"

" _I left so I could get away from you! From the fact that you're here and my mom's not and you're acting like her!_ And _you_!" She turned to Zane. "You're _falling for her!_ You don't even _care_ that Mama's gone! I think you're _happy she's gone!_ She's gone and this one's here to take her place like some sort of... _fucked up cloned trophy wife_ -"

 _"Caterina!"_ Jo and Zane's mutual shout perked Carter's attention. He watched in silence as Jo found her voice, snapping at the girl, who, despite her brilliance, also possessed not just her father's, but her mother's stubbornness- a rare, dangerous combination- and didn't know when to back down, and so she kept going. For everything Jo said, Cate bit back, giving as good she got, until Carter was pretty sure the argument could be heard all the way to New York. After several minutes, he stepped forward, getting between the pair when Cate reached out for Jo.

"All right, that's enough, both of you!" He glanced around for Zane, who had moved to sit on the stairs, head in his hands. The poor man looked as though he'd been enduring the arguing for weeks. "You cool it!" He glanced at Jo, huffed and crossed her arms. "And you, haven't you ever heard the phrase, 'respect your elders'?" Cate backed up, crossing her arms and glaring at Jo. The sheriff sighed. "Now, for all intents and purposes, and on the hope that we'll all be able to get some sleep, let's say that Caterina's right."

Jo's head snapped up, dark eyes going wide. "I'm sorry, _what_ -"

"You can't be serious, Carter." He glanced towards Zane, who'd spoken at the same time as his wife. Ge held up a hand, stopping them both.

"Just... just humor me, please." The young scientist let out a huff of annoyance and threw up his hands, getting up and going into the kitchen. "There are a couple things I-"

"Fine, AIDA, door." Without a word, the front door shut and locked. The sheriff watched as Zane grabbed a coffee mug from a cupboard; he met Carter's gaze. "What? you're here, you might as well know the truth." He glanced at Jo as she hurried to him. "And Carter? I suggest waking Allison, Henry and Grace also. They'll want to hear this too."

"Sure." The sheriff nodded, turning to leave the house as AIDA unlocked and opened the door. As he left, he heard,

"As for you, young lady, you're grounded, for the next _fifty_ years."


	19. Chapter 19

As soon as Carter was gone, Jo rounded on Zane fully. "Zane Matthew Donovan, have you lost your mind? What the hell possessed you to decide to tell _Carter?_ I thought we agreed to keep it between us, the girls and AIDA!"

"We did." He was surprisingly calm about the screaming match that had just taken place in their living room, and Jo recognized it as the mellow part of his personality making an appearance- unlike the original, who ran at the first sign of emotion- similar to her Zane in the Alternative timeline. Jo had willingly and openly called the original Zane a coward; her Zane in the Alternative timeline was anything but. He didn't necessarily _like_ emotion, but he didn't run from it like a whipped dog with his tail between his legs either. And _this_ Zane...

Well, clearly, he'd grown up enough to understand that losing his temper and running would do no good. He was facing the consequences of their actions like the adult he was. It was something he'd been doing since he got together with her, but unlike Zane, clearly, the alternative her hadn't wanted to accept the consequences of what she'd done, and was only going to when she was told to come home, when Zane forced her hand.

"But Carter _knows._ He found you, remember? He knows you're not from this time. Besides, part of the reason... _this._.." He motioned to Cate, who was still by the lock door, being berated by AIDA for managing to shut her systems down after everyone else had gone to sleep and sneak out; the AI could give as good a lecture as any parent, and since she had basically watched Cate come into being, it seemed only fair that she give the girl the first of what was going to be many lectures to come over the course of the next few days. The look on the girl's face was one of absolute torture, and after a moment, Jo's heart constricted, before she turned back to him. "happened. It's too much pressure keeping it to strictly ourselves. Something was bound to give eventually. We should just be grateful Caterina didn't do this in public." He sighed. "Besides, there are times when she seriously wanted to; I could see it on her face."

"But... still," Jo spoke up, as Zane sipped his coffee. " _Carter?_ Zane, I don't have a _relationship_ with the man other than casual acquaintance. In my timeline, I was his deputy. We were able to build up that friendship over years and years, and even after we came to the Alternative timeline, we still _had_ that friendship. I don't have that here. I don't even know if I can _trust_ him-"

"Maybe not, but you can trust Allison." He replied, setting the cup down. She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped. "Jo, you and Allison are best friends. You've worked together for years; she was the _maid_ of _honor_ at our wedding, she _delivered_ that little _pain_ in the _ass_ fourteen years ago. She delivered Annaleigh and Eleanora too. If you have a problem and don't want to talk to me, you go to her. When she married Carter, she asked you to be her matron of honor. Your relationship with Allison is as strong as your relationship with Carter in your original timeline probably was." He turned and after several minutes, set a cup of coffee in front of her. "If not stronger."

She sighed. "So... if Carter and I were best friends in my timeline, and the Alternative, and Allison and I were best friends in _this_ timeline, then... everything is switched?" He furrowed a brow, setting the cup down. "Well, you said that-"

But before she could finish, the door swung open, and Cate stumbled forward. Taking that as a sign that she was done being chastised by AIDA, the teenager booked it towards the stairs, only to be stopped the stasis field the AI set up around her as Carter and Allison entered. "Hey! Let me go!"

_"And just where do you think you're going young lady? We aren't done-"_

" _Come on, AIDA!_ _This isn't fair!_ " The teenager whirled on Jo and Zane. _"Daddy!"_

Zane merely raised an eyebrow at the girl as he made his way to Allison and Carter. "Sorry about the late hour, Allison." The older woman waved it away as Carter joined him in the living room. Jo stayed in the kitchen, fixing her own cup of coffee, watching them nervously.

"So." Jo was snapped out of her thoughts as Allison joined her. She leaned against the island counter, studying the younger woman. "Caterina giving you trouble?" She gestured to the teenager slouched in AIDA's stasis field, still getting chewed out by of all things, a house. Jo wrinkled her nose.

"How much did Carter tell you?" She quickly fixed Allison a cup of coffee, setting it in front of the other woman who smiled.

"Nothing, just that we need to come over here because you and Zane had something important to tell us." She watched the Head of Security tense, reaching up to scratch the back of her head. "Everything okay, Jo?"

"Fine." Allison didn't buy the fake smile and one word response.

"Jo, I've known you for years. You're my best friend. We've survived God knows how many Eureka-disasters together. You were in my wedding and I was in yours. I delivered all three of your girls. You'd tell me if something was wrong, wouldn't you?" She waited, as Jo bit her lip, thinking. "Jo, you know you can trust me." She reached out and took the other woman's hand.

"I... I know, Al, I just-" She stopped. _Al? Since when did you_ ever _, in_ any _timeline, call Allison 'Al'_? A moment passed, before she swallowed, covering up the surprise she felt, tongue darting out to wet her lips. "It... it's complicated."

Allison chuckled. "Honey, no one ever said parenthood was easy."

"I... I know, I just-" But a knock on the door stopped her and she stood, excusing herself quickly to get the door, seeing as AIDA was still chewing Cate out. "Henry? Grace? What are you-"

"I asked Carter to let them know, Jo." She turned back to Zane as he got up, joining her. "Come on in, you two. I'll fix coffee." He glanced at Jo, who kept her mouth shut. "It's going to be a long night, and we're going to need it." She had a bad feeling taking root in her stomach, that would only get worse over the course of the night. She knew it. After the coffee had been made and the cups handed out, the six adults settled in the living room. Jo glanced back at Cate, who was still stuck in AIDA's stasis field.

"Should we send her to bed? I think she's been tortured enough for the night." Zane wrinkled his nose, thinking. He took a sip from his cup and then stood, making his way to the teenager.

_"- you could have seriously damaged not just me, but short-circuited something and harmed yourself, or-"_

The girl turned towards her father, and AIDA stopped her lecture. "Okay... Okay, AIDA. you've made your point. Stand down."

_"Are you sure, Zane? I wasn't finished-"_

"I'm sure. I think Caterina's got the message." He studied his daughter, who stayed silent. After a moment, the field disappeared, and the girl stumbled from the shift in pressure. Her father caught her. "Whoa, easy there baby girl."

He knew what it felt like to be caught in AIDA's stasis field- though it looked light, the amount of pressure keeping the person in one place felt like being in one of those rooms where the walls slowly closed in; he'd dealt with it himself after coming home after three a.m. a few days before Cate was born, and been promptly chewed out by AIDA for not letting her know that he was working late, especially when the baby was so close to being born. Jo had woken up and come downstairs to find her husband trapped in AIDA's stasis field, enduring what would end up being a two-hour lecture on the importance of letting his very, _very_ pregnant wife and the AI of his house, know if he would be working late and _when_ he would likely be coming home. From that moment on, Zane had taken to calling AIDA and giving her a heads up if he ever ended up staying past midnight. Weirdly though, she didn't react the same way with Jo.

He glanced at Cate, who looked half-sick. He knew for a fact the girl didn't like small spaces, and he briefly wondered how she'd survived nine months and two days in her mother's womb, before shaking the thought away. Gently, he pushed the girl towards the stairs. "Okay, I think you've been sufficiently tortured enough. Go upstairs and go to bed. And _stay there_."

Once the girl was gone, Zane turned back to AIDA as the soft-spoken house spoke up. _"Was that really necessary, Zane? I wasn't done-"_

" _Yes_ , AIDA. It was. We have more pressing matters to attend to."

 _"Very well, Zane. May I ask what they are?"_ The AI had been so focused on making sure the girl understood the consequences of her actions that she hadn't noticed the Carters' or Deacons' arrival. Zane glanced up at the ceiling before returning to the living room. _"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Carter, Mr. and Mrs. Deacon, can I get you anything?"_

"No thanks, AIDA, we're all set." Jo cut in from where she leaned against the wall, arms crossed nervously over her chest. Zane settled by her side, taking in his friends' each in turn. Before he could say anything, AIDA spoke up again.

_"Would you like me to activate my sonic protocols, Zane, Jo? You're elevated heart rates suggest that-"_

"No thank you, AIDA, that won't be necessary." Jo cut in, glancing at Zane. _Sonic protocols?_ Just how advanced _was_ this AI? Should she be worried? Zane caught her eye, and thought a moment. Silence settled between them for a moment, before he finally spoke up.

"Actually, AIDA, that might not be a bad idea, just to be safe."

 _"Of course, Zane."_ Jo turned to him.

"Are you sure that's really necessary?"

"Jo," He took her hand, pulling her close. "it may be overkill, but I'd _rather_ not take any chances. Just because the house isn't under surveillance by the Department of Defense, doesn't mean it can't be hacked. I should know, I've hacked into AIDA's programs more than once; accidental, on purpose _and_ by mistake." Jo narrowed her eyes, deciding that at some point, she would get all the stories from Zane in regards to the mentioned incidences.

_"And, if you don't mind my asking, Zane, what important matters are we discussing with Drs. Deacon, Carter and Sheriff Carter?"_

Zane glanced at Jo, before turning to his friends. "The family secret."


	20. Chapter 20

"What... family secret?" Allison was the first to break the silence.

The younger couple shared a glance, Jo shrugged. After a moment, Zane rubbed a hand over his face; he pulled away and took a seat on the edge of the sofa, next to Allison. His blue gaze darted to Jo, who lowered her own and turned her head. Carter snorted.

"It can't be that bad." Carter spoke up, sipping his coffee. "It's not like one of you has a secret love child somewhere, or is having an affair behind the other's back."

Jo felt Zane tense beside her, and she reached out, squeezing his arm. "That's... not it," Zane whispered, pain barely masked in his voice. "And... it's not funny." He swallowed. "It's actually more serious than that." The two couples shared a glance, as Jo leaned towards him.

"Zane, are you sure? How do we know we can trust them?"

He met her gaze. "Jo, we've known these people for years. They're family. You saw Cate, how she reacted. We can't keep this to ourselves anymore, and we can't keep this from them. Safer in numbers-"

"Yeah, but not if that means sanctions for time travel." She muttered, and he reached up, tugging her chin back to him.

"It'll be okay. Trust me."

She nibbled on her bottom lip. "How can I trust you Zane, when I don't even know you?"

A smile tugged at his lips. "Because I'm still the same Zane you left in your Alternative timeline. And your original. I just... went down a different path, but the feelings are still the same." He kissed her softly.

"Zane? What's so important that you had to ask AIDA for sonic protocols?" Grace asked.

"We have..." The Section Five Head sighed, glancing at Jo. "You know that David Deutsch said that 'a time traveler should end up in a different history than the one he started from', right?" He didn't wait for an answer, instead, pushing himself away from the wall and beginning to pace in that way that was common for him when he was working through a particularly difficult problem. "And that the late Stephen Hawking argued that we should expect _each_ time traveler to experience a single self-consistent history. _Meaning_ that time travelers would actually remain within their own world instead of traveling to a different one, which, if we look at Hawking's argument, then that really isn't time travelling at all."

"That's jumping off of Everett's many-world's interpretation." Henry spoke up, and Zane nodded.

"The what?" Carter asked, and Zane sighed.

"Everett's many-worlds interpretation." He glanced back at Jo, who was listening intently. "The possibility that there are many- infinite, actually- universes, each with their own interpretation of events and historical figures that went down different paths. Like a tree, with many roots and branches." He clarified at Carter's blank stare. Jo snorted softly. Clearly, no matter the universe, Carter was still the same in every one.

"Oh. Okay."

"And that in each universe, which exists within its own small universe, every possible quantum outcome is realized and becomes true." He glanced at Carter, who got a familiar look on his face; one Jo recognized.

"Like the cat in the box." She said, lifting her cup and taking a sip. Carter's brow furrowed deeper.

"What cat?"

"The cat that's either alive or dead. In each universe, the cat is both alive and dead. Or in one is alive and the other dead." She stopped. Zane turned to her, impressed. She shrugged. "Just because I'm not a science _genius_ doesn't mean I don't enjoy science."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "The many-worlds theory came about in the late fifties. It focuses on quantum decoherence," He stopped, listening as Henry explained to Carter exactly what that meant. "and the accepted theory for suggests that if true, then every possible quantum event occurs in mutually exclusive histories unique to each universe. For instance..." He stopped, trying to think of something that wasn't too difficult for Carter and, by extension Jo, to understand. "Look at the Titanic. In our universe, the ship struck the iceberg and sank, taking over a thousand people with her. But in... another universe, the ship struck the iceberg, managed to limp into Halifax and maybe only lose a few people. And yet, in another universe, the ship didn't sink at all."

"Really? Titanic? That's the event you use?" Jo asked, and Zane turned to her.

"It was the only thing I could think of." She held up her hands in surrender. He sighed. "Look, if the time traveler arrives in a different universe that isn't their own, where there is a different history to the one they know, then it's not genuine time travel." He couldn't remember if he'd already said that, and didn't care to go back and ponder it.

"Zane, what are you trying to get at?" Carter asked, stopping the conversations taking place on the sofa between Grace, Henry and Allison. The younger man sighed, glancing at Jo before turning back to the others. He bit his lip.

 _"What Zane is trying to say, Sheriff Carter, is that Eureka has a time traveler."_ AIDA's soft voice broke through the voices. Silence instantly fell, as the four shared glances before turning to Zane.

"That's... impossible. Time travel isn't possible-" Jo listened as Henry went off on some spiel about the improbability of being able to travel through time, something she knew to be true. She was literal living proof, having done it twice already. She glanced at Zane, who met her gaze, hands in the pockets of his jeans. He sighed, giving her the barest hint of a smile.

"The only way you could know that, Zane is if-" Allison stopped, and Jo could see the exactly moment it clicked her brain. "is if _you_ were the time traveler."

His blue eyes widened in surprise that she'd come to that conclusion, and he struggled to think of something to say. "Allison... I... you... that's... where did you get-"

Jo glanced at her cup, finishing the last of her coffee before she pushed away from the wall and set the cup on the table. "It's not Zane."

"Well it's not one of us, Jo-" Allison started, as Jo pulled her hair over her shoulder with a sigh.

Carter turned to Jo, suddenly remembering something. "The sticker on your car-"

Finally able to gather his thoughts, Zane spoke up. "Actually-"

"I know, Allison. It's not you, or Carter or Henry or Grace or Zane. It's none of you." She cut Zane off, smiling softly at him. "It's me." She shrugged, hands on her hips. "I'm the time traveler." She turned to Zane, a look of sadness on her features. "And... this isn't my first time jump. I've done it before- but that time was with you four and Fargo." She stopped, biting her lip. "Only that time, it was caused by the Bridge Device, and we were sent back to nineteen-forty-seven, and when we came back we brought Doctor Trevor Grant with us because he managed to configure one of our cellphones to work for him too. And when we came back, the Eureka we came back to was... different." She stopped, eyes misting with tears.

"You two were still married," She nodded to Henry and Grace. "You were still the sheriff, you were the Head of the Medical Department, and you were together. Fargo was the Head of GD," She snorted softly as the other four winced at even the slightest possibility of Fargo being the Director. "And..." She glanced back at Zane. "We weren't together. We hated each other. But... we got to a good place, semi, before I left."

"Left?" Allison asked, confused and worried for her best friend. Her first thought was that Jo was suffering from fever or delirium, or possibly a mental illness that caused hallucinations.

"I left on my walkabout, about the time the Astreaus was set to leave for its mission. I wasn't planning on coming back to Eureka. I went... all over the U.S., and then went up to Canada, visited a friend and former business partner in Vancouver, and.. only my way home, I... something happened, and I ended up back in Eureka, but it's not my Eureka. Not... my Alternate Eureka. And certainly not my original Eureka." She shrugged, turning to Carter. "There you go. The sticker on my car is from two-thousand-twelve because _I_ am from two thousand twelve, not... twenty-twenty-two."

Silence fell, and after a moment, Jo turned to Zane. "Jojo-" She gave him a small smile, moving close and kissing him soundly.

"Thank you, for letting me stay." She pulled away, but he grabbed her hands, suddenly worried.

"Why did you do that? Where are you going?"

"Because I had to. And I'm gonna go for a walk." She grabbed her jacket and pulled it on, slipping her phone into the pocket. Then, she slipped into a pair of shoes and headed for the door stopping at the feel of eyes on her. She turned quickly, to see all three of the girls sitting on the stairs, hidden in the shadows. A finger came up to rest on her lips, and she pulled the door open, stepping out onto the porch. Once it was shut behind her, she walked down the path, making sure she was a good distance away from the house before she pulled out her phone. She scrolled through the contacts, finally coming upon a number she recognized.

She glanced back at the house. She hated what she was about to do, but she knew the rules for time travel. Sanctions and possible experimentation for the traveler and anyone who knew, which was why she needed to make sure she kept Zane and the girls out of it. She wouldn't risk the man she loved- any version of him- and certainly wouldn't risk his children. And, if she were honest with herself, this would be some sort of sick penance for her having gotten away with it the last time. She deserved to be sanctioned, she deserved to be locked up, to be experimented on.

There it is.

Finding the number she was looking for, she dialed, waiting for the person on the other end to pick up, barely registering that it was exceedingly early in the morning on the other coast. A soft sigh of annoyance escaped her as she got voicemail.

"Hi, General Mansfield, it's Jo Donovan. If you could give me a call back when you got this message, please. I've got some information you'll be interested in." She paused, biting her thumb nail. "It's important."

As she ended the call, she began to feel infinitely better, as though a stone had been removed from her heart. She could handle it, and, if anything, she would be getting what she deserved for having gotten away with it the first time. Glancing back at the house, she stuck her hands in her pockets, and took off on her walk, head down. Yes, Zane would be pissed as Hell, but she was doing this to keep him and the girls safe. This had been weighing her down since she arrived, and now, she was going to fix it as best she could. It was only right, that she get what she rightfully deserve.

And this... this nice, beautiful, perfect life, with the man she loved... she didn't deserve this. She had never deserved it. She knew that, and accepted it, and someday, Zane would too.


	21. Chapter 21

_"Blame it on me;_   
_They just want a scapegoat_   
_I just tried to fit in!_   
_You've got to beg just to get in line!_

_The fights... The lies..._   
_I just tried to be good!_   
_You've got to beg to get out of the woods!"_

_\- No Next Time,_

_Chasing Madison ft. Lauren Dunn_

"Zane? Is that true?"

He couldn't get the pained look in her eyes out of his head, like she had something up her sleeve that she wasn't tell him. His heart constricted, and he turned to Grace. "Ex... excuse me for a moment. I'll be right back."

Without another word, he hurried to the door, forgoing a jacket as he reached the door. "She had her phone." He stopped, turning to see the girls sitting on the stairs.

"What?" Zane made his way to where his daughters were sitting; even Cate looked concerned, though she tried hard not to show it. He didn't notice Allison and Henry getting up from their seats. "Say it again, Ela?"

The ten-year-old met his gaze, worry in her eyes. "She had her phone in her pocket. Told us to be quiet."

He sighed in annoyance, before turning and stalking back to the door. "Stay here, all of you!" Then, he stepped onto the porch, trying to figure out which way she could have gone, before the sound of sniffling caught his attention. He turned. "Back on the car again?" She met his gaze as he made his way over. "Thought you said you were going for a walk." She shrugged, and he climbed up to join her.

"I did. Came back here, but couldn't bring myself to go back inside." Silence settled between them, before she spoke up again. "I... I called and..." She swallowed hard. "I left a message for General Mansfield-" She didn't have to finish that sentence for him to know what she'd said in that message.

_"No, Jo, you didn't!"_

"I didn't tell him _outright_ , I just told him to call me back, and that it was.. important."

 _"Josephina, what were you thinking?_ " He grabbed her shoulders, turning her to face him. She met his gaze.

"That... that I cannot let you and the girls take the fall for me. I can't let anyone take the fall for me. This is my mistake. Whatever I did to get here... I know the consequences of time travel, Zane. I've done it once before. I know the consequences, and-" She stopped, swallowing thickly. He sighed, silence falling between them. "I can't let you and the girls-"

"It's not your choice, Jo. Not alone. This is a family decision-"

"We're not a family, Zane!" He quickly covered her mouth with his hand, before sliding off her car and helping her down. He tugged her back into the house. Once the door was closed behind them, he removed his hand from her mouth, and tugged her back into the living room, glancing at the girls with a jerk of his head. Carter, Allison, Henry and Grace looked up; they'd been discussing the possibility that Jo was really a time traveler, comparing what they knew of her and what Jo herself had told them. Zane gently pushed Jo onto the empty space beside Allison, before perching on the arm. Allison studied her old friend, worried.

"You don't look well, Jo."

The Head of Security gave her a rueful smile. "That's what happens when you... call General Mansfield with the intentions of turning yourself in for breaking time travel protocols." She swallowed thickly.

"So, the sticker on your car... that says two-thousand-twelve, is really from two-thousand-twelve-" Carter started.

"I thought we already _established that_ , Carter." She sighed. " _Yes_. It's from two-thousand-twelve." The sound of small feel brought everyone turning as the girls finally came into the room, having sat on the stairs and listened for the last several minutes. "So, go ahead, ask me anything. What do you want to know about my Alternative time? Or I can tell you about my original timeline, what I remember, anyway."

Henry, Grace and Carter exchanged glances, unsure of what to say, but Allison, who had known Jo the longest- next to Henry- spoke up. She didn't fully doubt Jo's story, but there was the part of her, the scientist in her, that was skeptical of what her friend was saying. "How did you end up in Eureka?" Jo raised an eyebrow. "Or... what brought you too Eureka?"

The end of Jo's mouth quirked the tiniest bit. "After the towers fell in two-thousand-one, I served an eighteen-month tour in Afghanistan; I was one of the first to go over. I was eighteen." She sighed. "I did three tours all together, ended at twenty. Wounded horribly in combat, lost four of my platoon, was..." She glanced at the girls. "Was taken prisoner, in a hostage situation, and," She swallowed, feeling Zane's hand on her shoulder; absentmindedly, she reached up, grabbing his hand and squeezing. "and... _tortured_ , is really the only correct way to put it. Was found a year later, shipped back stateside and honorably discharged." She quickly removed the shirt she was wearing, only leaving her bra on. Everyone winced, seeing the discolored scar tissue that covered her left shoulder from the burns she'd received when a molotov cocktail had gone off near her platoon. Jo had gotten the worst of it, though she'd managed to save five of her platoon, and while it was only the worst of her injuries, it wasn't the only only one.

Allison and Henry shared a glance; they both remembered being briefed on the new Head of Security's military experience, and the fact that she had been classified MIA, along with another member of her team, for a little over a year before being found; left for dead in the deserts of Afghanistan and brought back to the states. Clearly, it wasn't _just_ their Jo that had suffered such a fate. "I ended up in a hospital in New York; I don't remember which one. My military career was over before it'd even really begun. Though given what I went through..." She stopped, taking a shaky breath as she pulled on her shirt again, hiding the scars from view. "My friend Evan Cross, was with me the entire time I worked on recovery."

"The one in Vancouver, who came down to help us on that project." Zane clarified bitterly, and after a moment, Henry and Grace nodded. Her head snapped back as Zane squeezed her hand, and he blushed, loosening his hold. _Right, this Evan is not-._ He gave her a quick, sheepish smile and muttered an apology, that didn't go unnoticed by the others.

"No, _my_ Evan, not yours." Jo replied, turning back to Zane. He narrowed his eyes.

"What's the difference?" Jo opened her mouth, before she decided better of it and waved it away.

"Evan was my childhood friend; when I got better I went up to Vancouver with him and helped him to start Cross Photonics. I was one of his partners; I was part of the reason the company got off the ground. I may have attended the Point and served in the war, but I have two dual degrees."

"Really?" Annaleigh asked, and Jo nodded. "What are they?" The girls had curled up in the armchair, enraptured by Jo's tale. She met the second youngest girl's eye.

"I have a dual Masters in Economics and Business and an MD-PhD. in Neuropsychology and Military Psychology." Eight sets of eyes widened in surprise.

 _"You... have... how come you never said anything?"_ Carter demanded, shocked. Jo shrugged.

"I'm a _grunt with a gun_ , Carter. No one here ever seemed to _care_. I got both degrees done while I was at the Point; it was so I could help other veterans after my own career was over. I just... wasn't expecting my own career to be over so soon." She tossed her head, sighing. "After I came back, once I was fully healed, I went up to Vancouver and was able to help Evan and Brooke get Cross Photonics off the ground. I'm one of three partners in that company."

"Three?" Zane asked, and she turned to him.

"Yeah, Evan, Ange, and I." She ticked each off on her fingers. "Evan is the CEO, I'm the COO and Ange is the CFO. I answer to Evan, and Ange answers to me. We run it together- or, _ran_ it together, until I came to Eureka. I still have a stake in the company, I still have my position; that was one of the things I made Evan promise me when I left- that I would still be COO, even if I was now at Eureka- and my place on his Special Projects team is still waiting for me if I ever choose to take it. Now, I'm... more of a silent partner, I guess."

Silence had settled as Jo had talked, and after a moment, she glanced at all of them. It was Henry that spoke next. "Everything you just said, is _exactly_ what is in her personal file; her degrees, her business ventures, all of it."

"Wait, so they have the same history-" Carter started.

"This Jo and our Jo share the same history. They may be from different timelines, but their _histories_ are the same, even if their presents are not. So therefore, both Hawking _and_ Deutsch are correct. It's the choices that led them to these points in their lives that are different." Zane said, as Jo wrapped her arms around herself. She began to fidget, something uncommon for her unless she was exceedingly stressed. After a moment, she stood and began to pace.

"Look, I said wasn't a science genius, and I'm not. I may be a Doctor of Psychology, an Economist and a businesswoman, but under it all, I'm a grunt with a gun; my family has one of the oldest military histories in the United States. My grandfather served, my father served, all my brothers served, I served. And while my brothers all chose degrees specifically to the military, I went the other route. I watched my father come home from multiple tours and decided that when- _if_ \- I ever got out of the service, I would put my skills to good use. So I worked on getting my degree in Psychology. I focused on Neuropsychology and Military Psychology _specifically_ so I could help other veterans. The Business and Economics degrees were simply a whim, I never thought I'd _actually_ used them. They looked nice on paper, but when Evan started talking about a startup, I figured, why not?" She sighed. "I may not be a genius like the rest of you-"

"Actually, Jo, having an IQ of one-hundred-eighty-nine _puts_ you in the genius category." Grace spoke up.

"Wait... you... you never said anything about having that high of an IQ!" Carter cried. "Or... _other... you..._ "

 _"Carter."_ The sheriff turned to Zane, who glared at him.

" _What?_ It's just a... oh, _come on, Zane!_ You're _seriously_ going to deny knowing about-"

 _"She never talked about it, okay?_ I knew... very little about her background. She never told me anything other than the basics, and what I could learn from hacking her file." Everyone turned to him, and Jo finally spoke up.

" _You hacked my-_ her _\- file?_ "

He sighed, getting up and going to her. "I wanted to know more about her after she first arrived, so I hacked into her file." He reached out, taking her hands. "Look, your histories are the same. Only your presents are different. Deep down?" He reached up, caressing her cheek. "Deep down, you're my Josephina."

She lowered her head, pulling away. "No, Zane, I'm not."

"What you are, Jo, is a very wealthy woman, in your own right, even without your salary from Global." Henry said. She nodded. "Cross Photonics is... one of the most revolutionary tech companies in the world. You and your partners are... exceptionally wealthy. You're three of the richest people in the world. Though from what I can figure, Cross puts a lot of his wealth towards philanthropy-"

"That's... that's common for Evan. I did the same; there's... an account that I have, back in my..." She stopped. "No, in the original timeline, that is strictly for philanthropic ventures. I don't know if it's the same here, but I was surprised to find it was still there in the Alternate timeline."

"Wait," Annaleigh spoke up. "So... are you saying that... Mama is... that we're... rich?" Zane rolled his eyes. Of course the girls would latch onto that.

"No. Your mother is. Jo is. We are not, and I would not want us to be. We do well, with what your mother and I make."

"Yeah, well, Section Five guys _say_ they don't get the best houses, but they do." Jo replied, leaning close to Zane. "Which is why I'm kinda surprised that you and the girls live in _my_ house. Well, what is my house in the Alternative timeline. _Especially_ when you could be living in one of the bigger houses on Los Altos Avenue. You know, since you're _Head_ of Section Five and all."

Zane snorted softly, crossing his arms with a roll of his eyes. "Well, I may be Head of Section Five, but big houses have never interested me. Besides, we're happy here. Coriolis is our home." Jo raised an eyebrow, but kept quiet.

"Well, I live in an underground bunker that has more opinions than my ex-wife." Carter spoke up, and both Jo and Zane struggled to keep from laughing.

"There is that." Zane choked out. "I guess Jo and I should be grateful you aren't SARAH, right, AIDA?" He asked, turning his attention to the ceiling.

_"I would never give you an opinion unless you truly wished for it or requested it, Zane. Unlike most AI's, I respect yours and Jo's privacy."_

The Section Five Head nodded, releasing a slow breath. "I know she was fairly well-off when we got together, but I didn't know how exactly. Nor did I really care. I asked once, and she said it was a business venture," He stopped, his bright blue eyes darkening.

"Zane? Is everything okay?" A moment passed, before he met Grace's eye.

"Yeah. We just... there were days when we didn't see eye-to-eye, especially before she left." He met Jo's gaze, and she sighed, pulling away. "Hey." He grabbed her arm. "Where are you going?"

She turned back, meeting his gaze. "The bathroom. Where did you think I was going?" A moment passed, before he let her go. Once she was gone, he turned back to the others.

"I know none of you probably believe her, but she _is_ Jo, she just has a slightly different past to the Jo I married."

"Actually, Zane, their pasts seem to be fairly similar." Henry said. "What Jo could have done was moved through a parallel universe."

" _Obviously._ " Zane muttered, and Carter saw a hint of the young, reckless, troublemaker who had first arrived in Eureka all those years ago. He sighed, slipping his hands into his pockets. "You know, theoretically, every universe is different, but the closer they are, the more alike they are, with maybe just one difference. A green sky instead of blue-"

"Or cats chase dogs?" Eleanora asked from her seat in the armchair.

Zane nodded. "But.. ultimately, people are who they are, deep down. You told me that, Carter." The sheriff started, surprised the young scientist remembered his words of wisdom. "I mean... it's Jo. She's... small, and scrappy and _surprisingly_ strong-"

"Scrappy?" Cate asked, speaking for the first time since Jo had revealed her secret to the others.

"Yes, baby girl, _scrappy_. She's the most determined person I've ever met. Whatever she puts her mind to, she does. Granted, she's a bit of a gun nut, but... that's... growing up with three brothers, doesn't surprise me." He thought a moment, and then waved it away. "Never mind. Point is, she's the same person my wife was... is... is?" He wrinkled his nose. "just... she comes from a different timeline. Jo _is_ Jo, she's no one else _but_ Jo. Just because her past is slightly different, just because her _timeline_ was different doesn't mean _she_ is. The woman I love- the woman I _married_ \- and..." He gestured towards the woman making her way back to them. " _her_ are the same person. They just come from two entirely separate, alternate timelines." 

"So... what do you want us to do?" Grace asked. Zane sighed, watching as Jo dug into her pocket for her phone. He did the math in his head. Cate had been brought home about one a.m., and it was well past four a.m. now. Thank God it was Saturday, meaning everyone could sleep in. He watched Jo pull her phone from her pocket and bite her lip. She glanced at him, before taking the call and turning away, slipping outside. Once she was gone, Zane turned his blue eyes back to Grace. 

"I want you all to help us keep Jo's secret. Either... until we find a way to send her home and get my wife back, or we figure out how she ended up here in the first place."

"And... if she doesn't end up going back?" Carter asked slowly.

"Then we figure out how to help her transition to this timeline as easily as possible." Zane's gaze snapped to the door as Jo slipped back into the house and returned to the others, ending the call. 

"... it's nothing to do with Global, General. I promise. Actually," She glanced over her shoulder, catching Zane's eye as he made his way towards her. "it has to do with broken protocols. Yes, Section Five-forty-nine, subsection two. I'm very aware of what that is General." She bit her lip as he stopped, stunned. _Please forgive me, Zane. I'm doing this for you and the girls._ "... I'm fairly sure, Sir. I believe there's a time traveler in Eureka. Thank you, Sir. Yes, talk to you soon." 

"Jo, how could you?" She stepped back, ending the call and lowering the phone. 

"This has to do with me and me alone. I'm sorry, Zane. But I can't put you or the girls at risk. I can't put any of you at risk."


	22. Chapter 22

_"You've got to find what you want in life;_   
_Speak until you're heard_   
_If you want the world you're dreaming of_   
_Then find out what it's worth"_

_\- No Next Time,_

_Chasing Madison ft. Lauren Dunn_

Screw the sanctions, he was going to _kill_ her before the Department of Defense got their hands on her.

 _"How could you do that?"_ He cried, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her firmly. She shoved him away.

"Zane, how could I _not_? We got lucky, and we all got away with it last time, but at some point, that luck is going to run out. And better that it's me and not any of you, because I am the time traveler. If I take the blame, then, you can all go back to living your lives-"

"Damn it, Jo! Do you not understand?" Zane asked, running a hand through his hair. "I can't raise the girls on my own, I won't!"

"You won't be alone, Zane. You'll have Carter and Allison and Henry and Grace and Fargo, and all the rest of Eureka-"

"But I _want_ you! I _need you_!"

"And if you manage to get her back?" He stopped. "What if, _hypothetically_ , I'm sanctioned, and she returns, somehow? You'll have her back-"

_"I was never going to have her back, Jo! It was over between us! She served me the papers before she went up to Vancouver!"_

Silence fell within the house, and Jo felt her mouth drop. "I... I'm sorry? What?"

Zane sighed, going into his study. He came back minutes later; Jo had returned to her seat beside Allison as he handed her the manila folder. Slowly, with shaking hands, Jo removed the paperwork. "She wanted a divorce. And when I asked her why, she blatantly looked at me and admitted that it was because she was going to go up to Vancouver. She was going to get back together with Cross, and take her old job back. She was only coming back from Vancouver because I demanded we discuss this in person, even though she'd already made up her mind."

"What about the girls?" Allison asked, glancing at his daughters, who all appeared stunned, except for Cate. The teenager looked as though she already knew what her mother had been planning. Zane shook his head.

"She was going to give me full custody." He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Somewhere along the line, in the last fourteen... _sixteen_ years... our relationship, our marriage, began to fall apart. We lost our spark." He met Jo's gaze. She was numb, and after a moment, she stood, moving away as Allison grabbed her hand.

"Jo?"

But she ignored them, stumbling past Zane and the girls to the door of the study. "Jo, are you all right?" Zane grabbed for her hand, but she shook him off.

_"Are you all right, Jo? I'm sensing a rapid drop in your blood pressure and a mild buildup of pressure in your temporal lobes. Can I get you anything?"_

Jo waved AIDA's suggestion away. So she had been-

"I was sleeping beside a stranger that looked like my wife, but... but she didn't _act_ like the woman I'd married. We spent more time arguing than getting along. Somehow, the Enforcer she had been known as when she first got here was back, not just at work but at home. She seemed to _tolerate_ the girls-" He stopped.

"But.. that doesn't make any sense." Allison spoke up. "I _know_ Jo. I've known her from the moment she came to Eureka. And she never _once_ -"

"Well, it's not like she'd come out and say, 'I'm having an affair', Allie." Carter replied. Zane glanced at the girls. Annaleigh and Eleanora both wore looks of shock, but Caterina clearly knew what had been going on, and, probably because she was her mother's daughter, had kept her suspicions to herself. Cate may have been a Daddy's girl, but she was protective of her mother.

"I would... hear her on the phone." Cate whispered. "When I asked her about it once, she said that she was talking to," She swallowed, meeting her father's eyes. "'Uncle Evan' and that I didn't need to worry about it." Jo closed her eyes, swallowing hard.

He shook his head. "I had a suspicion, that she was maybe carrying on an affair, but I couldn't be sure, and I wouldn't go searching to find out. I trusted her, I loved her. I asked her, and she denied it, but I think she was just telling me what I wanted to hear."

Releasing a breath, Jo turned and slid down the doorjamb, tears in her eyes. The possibility that there was a universe where she _chose_ to cheat on Zane, to walk away from them, made her heart hurt in the worst way possible. _But then again, isn't that what you did to your Zane in the Alternate timeline? You didn't promise to wait for him, and left, and look what happened. You're no better than your alternate here._

She forced herself to take several slow, even deep breaths. Her gaze fell to the rings on her left hand; the diamond of the engagement ring sparked in the light, just as the gold glinted. Apparently, when she showed up in this time, the rings her alternate self wore had transferred to her. So had she taken her place? Or was there more to this? Was she missing something?

"Mama? Are you okay?" She tore her gaze from her hand to find Eleanora sitting on the floor next to her. A moment passed, before she nodded, remembering that Eleanora and Annaleigh had taken to calling her 'Mama' and 'Mom', even when they weren't in public.

"Yeah, I'm... I'll be okay. I just... it's a lot to take in, and..." She looked up as Zane offered her and hand. Once she was back on her feet, she turned to the others. "Look, it's your decision, whether you want to help or not, but I already told General Mansfield there's a time traveler in our midst. I intend on turning myself in," She met Zane's gaze briefly. "Go ahead, blame the good soldier in me. So, the rest of you, do whatever you want. Your choice is not mine, and I've already made mine." Her gaze shifted to Zane. "I'm going to go to bed. Night."

And without another word, she left, scurrying upstairs before anyone else could speak. Once she was gone, Zane turned back to the others. Allison glanced at Grace, Carter and Henry, her mind made up. "Zane, we can't let her do this. Regardless of what your wife had done, Jo- this Jo- doesn't deserve to be sanctioned. It was an accident. We have to stop her. We can't let her talk to Mansfield on Monday, we just can't."

He sighed. "I know, Allison. But the question is, how?"


	23. Chapter 23

_Monday_

Jo awoke at one a.m. Quietly, carefully, she slipped out of bed and got dressed in her running gear; it was earlier than her normal morning run, but oh well. Slipping her phone into the pocket of her zip up sweater, she slipped out of the house, shutting the door softly behind her before taking off. With her music in her ears, she let her thoughts drift away as her feet carried her through the town. Eventually, she stopped at the bridge overlooking the river at the edges of town.

As she let her muscles recoil and her heart rate return to normal, she removed one of her earphones, leaning against the railing. The cool, early, early predawn air wrapped around her, tugging at the ends of her ponytail, and she closed her eyes. _You're making the right choice. Turning yourself into Mansfield today will the best thing you've ever done; it's justice and retribution for getting away with it when you went back to nineteen-forty-seven._

As she stuck the earphone back in her ear and continued on her run, she briefly thought that she was making a mistake, before she cast the thoughts aside. By the time she returned to the house, she was in desperate need of a hot shower; gooseflesh broke out over every inch of her skin, and she quickly hurried down the hall to the master bedroom.

"Mama?"

She stopped, turning to see Eleanora in the hallway. Part of her way screaming to ignore the child; she wasn't Jo's child, after all... but the other part of her... the secret maternal part of her that had _always_ wanted children... she turned to the girl, going to her. "Ela, what are you doing out of bed?"

"You aren't really going to leave, are you?" The ten-year-old asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Jo bit her lip.

"Sweetie, I have to. I don't belong in this timeline, and I broke the rules. Daddy has to have told you that you need to follow the rules."

The girl nodded. "But, he also says that they should be broken for the right people and right reasons, too."

She sighed, pulling the girl into a hug. "And he's right." Gently, she rubbed Eleanora's back as the child clung to her. "But," She pulled away, taking the girl by the shoulders. "you also need to understand that sometimes, people follow the rules to protect those they love. That, sometimes, following the rules is the only way to make a wrong right again, even if it means hurting the people you love. Okay?" Slowly, the girl nodded. "Okay. Go back to bed. You still have a few hours before you have to be up for school." Once the girl was gone, Jo slipped into the bedroom, heading for the shower, unaware of Cate and Annaleigh listening from the shadows.

After finishing her shower, Jo quickly dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, writing a note for Zane and leaving it on the nightstand, before grabbing her black trench and pulling it on to ward away the chill before slipping out of the house. She kept a change of clothes in the lower drawer of her desk; she'd change by seven and be ready for Mansfield. By the time she made it to GD- nothing like a walk to work- it was nearly four-thirty. It wasn't uncommon for Jo to often come into work exceedingly early back in her timeline; she saw it as her time to get the things she hadn't gotten to the day before done, and just spend some time relaxing as she went over that day's schedule; it was one of the few times she had the building to herself before everyone else arrived.

After punching in her code, she entered the building. It was quiet, the darkness casting creepy shadows on the walls around her. Her sneakers squeaked on the marblesque floors, and she nonchalantly made her way towards her office on Level Four. All of the main offices were on the fourth level- the Director of Global Dymanics', the Director of Security's, the Medical Director's- with the exception of the 'Heads; of the Sections; Sections Nine, Eight, Seven and Five's offices all resided on the floors of their sections. Section Five was three floors down from Level Four, and two above Section Fourteen where the Nuclear Testing took place.

 _Zane had said that 'Head of' is the informal title, which, surprisingly makes sense. I never felt comfortable being called 'Director of Security' in the Alternate timeline._ She sighed, slipping into her office and releasing a breath. Pushing herself away from the door, she went to the coffeemaker and started a pot, taking a seat at her desk and turning on her computer. As it booted up and powered on, she stood, moving to fix a cup of coffee, before returning to her desk.

She had a stack of request forms to look over- all various forms for various projects, most of them being in Section Five. She could see Zane's signature at the bottom of the majority of them, and knew that he would only approve project requests to send to her and Henry if he thought they had true potential to expand GD's research. She read through a few of them, signing off on a few, setting them into a pile on the corner of her desk. After signing off on the ones she knew would benefit the company's research, she gathered them up, setting them in a nice pile on one side of her desk before turning to the second stack; this one was bigger, it clearly looked to be more than a month or two of backed up... well, Jo wasn't sure what. Sighing, she grabbed a small section and began to flip through it.

Project proposals, incident reports, security checks... something fell to her feet, and she knelt to pick it up. She quickly unfolded it, brows knitting together as her own handwriting came into view; it was a set of letters folded together. She quickly folded them up, she shouldn't be looking at it... but she couldn't help herself-

_Dear Director Deacon,_

_I hereby formally tender my two-week resignation as Global Dynamics' Director of Security, effective immediately. I am sorry for any inconvenience my abrupt departure may have caused you, but I have included a recommendation for Gwendolyn Rowley to take over my position. I shall finish my final two weeks to make sure everything is in order, and that the shift of power within the Security Director's office is smooth. Thank you for having given me the opportunity to work at Global Dynamics. I wish you all the best._

_Sincerely,_

_Josephina Lupo_

She started. So her alternate self had actually gone through and written out a letter of resignation, but clearly she'd never handed it over. She moved it, pulling the second letter forward.

_Zane,_

_I'm so sorry to do this to you. I know it does not seem fair, but I cannot do this anymore. I cannot stay married to you, pretending that everything is wonderful between us, that we're happy, when we're not. The first few years of our marriage were wonderful. And at first, I thought we could make it work; I thought having Annaleigh and Eleanora would make me happy, if we had a big family, but it didn't. It made everything worse._

_I greatly respect you, Zane, but I cannot love you. I do not love you. I don't know that I ever did. I have always been in love with Evan. Which means that I will be moving back up to Vancouver and returning to Cross Photonics once my two weeks are up at Global. I'm sorry, Zane, but I cannot do this anymore. I think I was more in love with the idea of being with you than you. I am giving you full custody of the girls and please let them know that they are not responsible for my decision._

_Sincerely,_

_Jo_

She swallowed thickly, anger silently coursing through her at her alternate self's words. It sounded, to her, that she was blaming Zane for the breakup of their marriage, that she was painting herself the victim, and the Evan the knight come to save her. She wanted to go back through whatever wormhole or timeline surge she'd passed through, find her alternate self, and throttle her. _How dare she-_ her phone went off, her alarm alerting her to the fact that it was six-forty-five. _Shit._ Mansfield, would be here in ten minutes to speak with her about-

She quickly shoved the letters into the bottom of the pile she still had to work on, and then yanked open the lower drawer of her desk, grabbing her duffel and shutting it. She hustled across the rotunda, ignoring those of her team and the other scientists who were slowly drifting into Global for the start of another work week.

Once in the bathroom, she slipped into a stall and stripped down to to her undergarments. She grabbed the slacks she'd put in the duffel and then stopped, her fingers brushing against something else. After a moment, she pulled out a long-sleeved, dark grey sweater dress. It was actually very pretty. After a moment, she shoved the slacks back into the bag and removed the dress, slipping into it. It wasn't so much a thick sweater-type dress, as it was a soft material she couldn't name off the top of her head. She then pulled the pair of simple black stiletto heels in the bag out, and stepped into them, and then slipped out of the stall. The reflection that met her was one she didn't recognize.

The slight v-neck of the dress showed just a hint of cleavage, and it hit to just above her knees, leaving a shapely silhouette. She fixed her makeup; _never let them see you sweat when accounting for your mistakes; looking professional gives you an edge over others, especially in sticky situations, and people are more willing to not only believe you, but take your words into account._ She put the last touches on her lip gloss and stepped back, tucking it into her duffel. At the last minute, she yanked the tie from her hair; it cascaded down her back and over her shoulders in a cascade of soft black silk. _Though I doubt this is what Mama meant._

Was she _really_ considering using her feminine wiles to trick Mansfield? No, of course not.

Was she going to try and distract him long enough to either work her way out of the trouble she'd gotten herself into or come up with a convenient excuse he'd actually buy? Possibly.

Did she have any sort of plan? Not at all.

 _Even if it blows up in my face like I know it will, at least I'll have put up a good front and tried._ She smoothed the skirt of her dress. A small part of her also was hoping that the last image Zane had of her would be this one, before Mansfield took her away to be either sanctioned in solitary or killed for breaking time travel protocols; give the poor guy something stunning to remember. Then, she slipped out of the bathroom, across the rotunda and back to her office, checking the time. _Six-fifty-five. Time to spare._

Releasing a breath, she smoothed the skirt of her dress one last time, and then, grabbed her coat, pulling it on. The coat would help hide her shaking, while still looking professional; with a sigh, she left, her heels clicked smartly as she walked; it was evident that she commanded the attention of everyone there, regardless of whether they were wide awake or not. Though the sight of the normally stiff Director of Security- who always wore black power suits, her hair in a tightly controlled ponytail- now sporting a formfitting, slinky heather grey dress beneath a familiar black trench, and stiletto heels, her hair cascading down around her shoulders and back, was one not to be missed, and everyone came a standstill. Even Mansfield stopped, stunned at the striking image of the Security Director making her way towards them.

Lifting her head, she strode across the rotunda, as people entered the building, heading for their respective sections and labs. She caught sight of Zane, slightly irate- most likely at her leaving after getting back from her run- with a cup of coffee from Cafe Diem in his hands, in conversation with Allison, Henry and Grace, though she couldn't hear a word they were saying. He looked exceedingly sexy in a pair of dark wash jeans, dark green button down and heather grey blazer, the light stubble on his cheeks offsetting his baby blues. Allison stopped her conversation with him, Henry and Grace, all surprised at the sight of Jo in the coat, dress and heels. She glanced at them before turning her attention to General Mansfield, her military training kicking in.

"Director Donovan."

She cleared her throat softly, giving Mansfield a small smile as she tucked her hands behind her back and clicked her heels together. "General."

"I understand you have-" He stopped and Jo raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, General?"

Mansfield nodded once; he knew the Lupo family, had served with Jo's father. When James's wife had died, Mansfield and his wife had stepped in to help raise the kids. He had actually tried to dissuade Jo from going into the military, to no avail. He had essentially, poached Jo for the job at Global when she was in Vancouver, running her company with Cross. In her short military career, she'd risen through the ranks, something not uncommon for one of the most prestigious military families in American history- being honorably discharged with the rank of Lieutenant General; something completely unheard of for someone so young- especially a woman. She was the only female Lieutenant General to reach such a rank by age twenty, but then again, it really didn't surprise him. It _was_ Jo, after all. She had grown up and been raised in the military her entire life; he really shouldn't have been surprised. Now though, he studied her. _She's grown so much over the years..._ "I understand that you have supposed information in regards to a breach of Section Five-forty-nine, subsection two-"

"That's correct."

He nodded. "Shall we?"

She held out a hand, stepping back and allowing him to pass by before following. With one last glance over her shoulder, she caught Zane's gaze, before quickly falling into step with Mansfield as they headed to her office on Level Four, either unaware or ignoring the fact that Zane followed close behind.


	24. Chapter 24

_"I went out and tried to cut a pine tree down_   
_Fell through the ground, li-like Alice_   
_Oh what a sound, this must be a nest_   
_I've got rocks and sticks against my chest, I'm Alice_

_Dear Queen Of Hearts, I'ma grow you white roses_   
_So you can learn to be kind_   
_Tell King Of Hearts, to arm all his forces_   
_So you can learn to be kind_

_Oh what a start, inside out and upside down_  
 _No stress, I'mma clean up this mess, li-like Alice_  
 _First, hand me scissors, then bring out the heavy artillery_  
 _Oh justice is my middle name, I'm Alice_ _"_

_\- Queen of Hearts,_

_Velvet Moon_

Once they were behind the door of her office, Jo activated the sonic protocols, wanting this to be simply between her and Mansfield; she wasn't quite ready to bring the Department of Defense into it yet. "Can I get you a cup of coffee, Uncle Theo?"

He smiled softly at her, nodding. She quickly fixed two cups, handing him one before setting hers on her desk and peeling her coat from her body. Draping it over the back of her chair, she indicated him to sit, and took a seat directly across from him. "How have you been, Josephina?"

She sighed. "Okay." Mansfield studied her, reaching out to take her hand.

"Your father's worried about you."

Her dark eyes widened in surprise. "Why?"

He shook his head. "I'm not sure why, I just know he's worried about you. And, honestly, we're all worried for you. Ricco mentioned last time I talked to him that you were considering ending your marriage and returning to Vancouver, that you had been seeing Evan Cross behind your husband's back, and that that was the reason for the divorce papers."

She furrowed a brow, before remembering that Mansfield thought he was speaking to Jo of this time. "Right. My... affair..."

"How could you, Josephina? I've never thought very highly of Doctor Donovan, but even he does not deserve the treatment you've put him through."

"Uncle Theo-" She stopped. What could she possibly say? He obviously thought she was the other Jo. Which brought them back to the reason for his visit-

"Josephina, I know you're good friends with Cross, but to go so far as to begin an affair?" She pulled away and stood. "Josephina, you're a Catholic-"

"Uncle Theo, you're not..." Nervously, she took her lower lip between her teeth. With a sigh, she met his gaze. "Uncle Theo-" She stopped, taking a deep breath and lacing their fingers.

"You said the information you have has to do with-"

"The time traveler? This has everything to do with the time traveler." Her dark eyes were sad, wary, as though she'd seen so much over the years. A bitter laugh escaped her and she raised her arms, shrugging. "Because I'm the time traveler."

He didn't know exactly what to say. "I... I'm sorry?"

She took a deep breath. " _I'm_ the time traveler, Uncle Theo. The one who broke the protocols is me."

Jo watched Theodore Mansfield furrow a brow; she swallowed as those familiar, distinctive heterochromia eyes rested on her. They studied her, drinking in her features from her hair to her makeup and down over her dress. She knew instantly what he was searching for. From the photographs she'd seen of her alternative counterpart, she was thin, but not as thin as she herself was, because she'd had three children. Her counterpart had gone through three pregnancies, she'd endured childbirth three times, and so she was bound to have more curves in places than before she'd had children, especially around her waist, hips and thighs. But Jo, having never had children, possessed no such extra curves. She met his gaze, seeing the questions in his eyes. "Go on, what do you want to ask me?"

Mansfield sighed. "You _really_ expect me to believe that, Josephina? That you're a time traveler?"

She started, surprised at his response. She was expecting accusations, demanded answers, and just general... well, a worse reaction than she got. Where was the yelling? The demands? The accusations? The threats of sanction and execution? "I'm _serious_ Uncle Theo. I'm not... I'm not your Jo; essentially, I replaced the Jo that was here. I come from an alternate timeline. Well, _technically_ , _two_ alternate timelines." She muttered.

"And what year would it happen to be in your 'timeline', Josephina?" Mansfield asked. She sighed.

"It's two-thousand-twelve in my Alternate timeline, and when I left my original timeline, it was two-thousand-ten. And... here it's two-thousand-twenty-two? I know it seems implausible, Uncle Theo, but-"

"Tell me something, Josephina." She furrowed a brow.

"I'm sorry?"

He stood, going to her. "If you're really not from this timeline, then tell me something that happens in two-thousand-ten and something that happens in two-thousand-twelve. Something that didn't happen in this timeline."

She swallowed. Something that didn't happen in this time, but happened in her other timelines? Sure, easy, except she didn't know what had happened here and what hadn't. _Okay, think, think. Something that happened in your timelines that didn't happen here._ "The Astreaus. When I left on my walkabout in two-thousand-twelve, it had _just_ launched, but when I got here, Zane said that it had been scrapped in two-thousand-eleven because someone had hacked the mainframe. And I don't know if it ever launched in my original timeline because I was traveled before anything major happened there."

Mansfield raised an eyebrow. "Okay. Anything else?"

Slowly, Jo began to pace, teeth sliding out to grasp her lower lip. "In my original timeline, I was the deputy, first under Sheriff Cobb and then under Carter. I was passed over twice for the Sheriff position- first in favor of Carter, and then in favor of Deputy Andy. From what I can figure, it was the same in the Alternate timeline, but not here. From what I've been told, I was brought in to be the Head of Security." She met his gaze. "Anything else?"

"How did you end up in the alternate timeline?"

She sighed; lowering her gaze briefly. "The Einstein-Grant Bridge Device was somehow turned on on Founder's Day two-thousand-ten, and I got sent back to nineteen-forty-seven. Somehow, and I don't remember how, I managed to get back to my Eureka, only to discover that it wasn't _my_ Eureka. I wasn't the deputy anymore, I was Head of Security for Global. And..." She released a breath; even after a nearly two years, it was still difficult to think about those moments when she realized that her relationship was over. "And Zane I... we weren't together. In fact, we hated each other." She swallowed thickly.

"We had nearly gotten engaged in my original timeline, but I hesitated, because he caught me off guard, and so I never told him yes. And when I arrived in the Alternate timeline, we were enemies. Sure, I had my job," She looked around. "This job, but I lost the most important thing to me. I was in an entirely new Eureka, with no way of navigating it. And by the time I _finally_ managed to figure out how to navigate it, by the time Zane and I had _finally_ gotten to a good place, I'm thrown into this timeline with no idea of how I got here and now idea of how to get home or-"

Mansfield listened as Jo talked. Normally, he would assume that she was lying; and had she been _anyone_ else, that assumption would be correct, however he knew Jo. He'd helped to raise her and her brothers. She was like a daughter to him. As she continued telling him of the vast differences between her original Eureka, her Alternate Eureka and this Eureka, he watched the tears swim in her eyes, saw them drip onto her cheeks and trail down the apples, smudging her makeup. It was exceedingly rare that Jo show emotion as she was now; he'd only seen it a handful of times before- when her mother died, after she'd returned home from being rescued, and when each of her girls were born-

 _No, wait, she's never had children._ _The... other... version of her has. Dear Lord, this is confusing. How does she keep them straight?_

"I know you probably think I've lost my mind, Uncle Theo, but _please, believe_ _me_. I wouldn't lie to you, you _know_ I wouldn't. What reason would I have for lying? I may have a similar history to this Jo, but this present is not mine. This _life_ , this job, this _marriage_ , those _girls- none_ of them are mine. I would _never_ cheat on Zane, you know that. I'm loyal to a fault. It made me _sick_ when I found out she was cheating on him with Evan; Evan and I were nothing but really good friends in my timeline- in both, and it made me even sicker to discover that she'd served Zane divorce papers before leaving. And then... this morning when I came in early to get work done, I found this." She didn't know what was possessing her to tell Mansfield everything, but she couldn't seem to stop herself.

Was it guilt for something she had not done? For what her counterpart had done? For the lies her counterpart had woven, the destruction she'd left behind in her wake? Or was it guilt for having gotten away with time travel the _first_ time? In turning herself in to the Department of Defense, were her loose lips trying to right a wrong that would never be properly punished? Or maybe she'd finally cracked under the pressure.

"It's her resignation letter and a letter to Zane. I would _never_ do such a thing, Uncle Theo, you _know_ that. I love my job." She dug in the pile of paperwork on her desk left to be worked on and pulled the papers out, holding them out to the general. He took them, slowly unfolding both. His eyes scanned over the familiar scrawl, and Jo sniffled. "I _don't understand_ what could _possibly_ make her decide to walk away from those _beautiful_ girls and that _wonderful_ man. I _lost_ my Zane and it nearly _killed_ me, and all she seemed to do was take him for granted. And I've only been here a few weeks, but... but I _love those girls_ already as if they were mine, even though they're not, not really. I find myself wishing they'd been born of _my_ womb and not _hers_." She sniffled, not bothering to hide the bitterness in her words.

Mansfield glanced at her, seeing the passion in her eyes when she spoke of the girls. _She doesn't even know the girls very well, and yet she's already in love with them._

"And... I care deeply for Zane. He's a _wonderful_ man- in any timeline- and he deserves the best. And that _she_ was cheating on him... I don't care if she is another version of me; I would never do that to him. In the Alternate timeline, I backed off, I stayed away, even though it nearly killed me to do so, because he hated me, and I figured if I let him go, then I could move on and it would be easy." She bit her lip. "But it wasn't and I couldn't. I just... I couldn't. Being with him was like a drug and I was the junkie. I couldn't get enough of him, and..."

She stopped, taking a quick shuttering breath. "I can feel it happening here. I can't go without thinking of him; if we're in the same room together, I can't go without touching him or kissing him or talking to him, I can't be separated from him. And when I am, it hurts. I _don't know what's wrong with me_ , but it's _not natural_ , and... my being from a different time just... just makes it _worse_."

He handed her the letters back, which she returned to the pile. Mansfield knew what was wrong with Jo- and, in all honesty, it wasn't wrong at all. Except Jo would never admit it, least of all to herself; she would deny it until the end. She sniffled, and for the briefest of moments, he was looking at that little girl he'd helped raise. And then he blinked, and she was replaced with the grown woman before him. Without a word, she rummaged around the desk drawers for several minutes before pulling something out; the object glimmered in the light of the room.

Handcuffs.

She held them out, but all he did was stare at her. When he didn't take them, she unlocked them and turned them on herself, locking first one around her wrist, and then the other before holding the key out to him, which he took after a moment's hesitation. "I _know_ I've broken protocols, and I _know_ the penalties for time travel, General Mansfield." It startled him that she had so easily returned to the good soldier she'd once been. "I understand that what I've done has not only broken the laws of physics, but laws of the government; I make no excuses for what I've done, and I accept whatever punishment you and the courts see fit, be it solitary confinement and experimentation or death. I only ask that you keep it from the girls; they never need know about the fate of the woman impersonating their mother." She swallowed thickly and held her hands out, waiting for him to take them.

Her eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks traced with tear tracks. She looked miserable, though she still held that air of the perfect soldier about her. It always amazed him how easily Jo could go from civilian to soldier in the blink of an eye. He sighed, reaching out and taking her hands in his. Her small fingers rested in his much larger palms, and he remembered a time when she would slip her small hand into his when they and her family went anywhere together. She was 'Theo's girl', and he took his keeping watch over her seriously.

Especially now.

Her soft whisper broke his heart. _"Please, Uncle Theo."_

Part of him knew he couldn't let her do this; James would never forgive him if he handed his beloved daughter to the government, labeled a traitor. And yet, the other part of him knew he had to. Without a word, he took her wrists, and gently pushed her forward, before stopping and grabbing her coat. The chill in the air had turned to rain. He gently draped the coat over her shoulders and then led her from the room. Silently, he walked Global Dynamic's Director of Security from her office and down across the rotunda. By now, everyone who worked at the facility had arrived, and those who hadn't already gone down to their labs stopped, stunned to see General Mansfield gently guiding their Head of Security from the building in handcuffs.

For her part, Jo kept her head high and her gaze forward; she was the picture of calm despite the tears on her cheeks. Allison rushed from the medical bay, as Henry and Grace dashed from Henry's office; Zane, meanwhile, realized he'd gotten to Jo's office too late to stop her. He'd gotten leeway-ed by Doctor Parkins and Doctor Hershe on his way to Jo's office; they'd wanted to talk to him about something for whatever they were working on in Section Five, and after forty minutes, he'd finally managed to slip away, because neither understood the meaning of the words, 'We'll go over everything later.'

He dashed up down the stairs from Level Four onto the rotunda. Jo glanced back at Allison, Henry and Grace, giving the most minuscule of nods as she and Mansfield left the building. As soon as they were gone, a buzz of activity burst, but it was all eclipsed by Zane's shout as he went dashing through the rotunda after them. Without a second thought, the other three rushed after him, stopping on the cement apron that spread out before the building. Jo and Mansfield stood near an armored, non-descript black van; she was listening as he solemnly read her her rights.

_"Jo!"_

Before Mansfield could finish, Zane reached them, throwing his arms around the woman. He held her against him, tucking her head beneath his chin, turning to glare at the general. Quietly, the trio moved closer to listen; even from this distance, they could see the conflict of interest flashing across the older man's face. It was highly evident that he was struggling to do as he was trained, forcing himself to take the young woman he'd helped raise in for breaking time travel protocols. Zane shook his head. "No! You can't do this, General-"

Mansfield sighed, shoulders sagging slightly as he gazed at the younger man. "Zane, I _have_ to."

Zane shook his head, never releasing her. " _No, you don't._ You _can't_. If you do, she'll be throwing her life away-"

" _What life_ , Zane? I _have no life_." It was Jo that spoke this time, pulling away to look up at him, even as the others hurried down the steps towards them, stopping a respectful distance away. "I'm stuck in a timeline I don't understand, with people who look like my friends and loved ones, but who I don't know. I've had to adjust to everything all over again. And what if _she_ comes back?"

"She won't come back, Jo. She asked for a divorce, even if she came back to this timeline, she wouldn't return to me or our girls. She _made_ her choice when she left for Vancouver. _Please_." He took her face in his hands, before turning to Mansfield. "You _can't_ let her do this, General. So she's a time traveler, big deal! She didn't do it _deliberately_ ; it was a _mistake_! Something happened to send her here! Whatever it was, did so for a _reason_."

Mansfield sighed, watching the younger man. He had a hard time trusting the man initially; when he'd first met Zane, the physicist had been a cocky young kid, who was known for flirting with the female population of Eureka but never going after something serious. He flitted through life seemingly without a care in the world.

Until Jo had come along.

And then suddenly, almost overnight, the young, freshly promoted Head of Section Five set his sights on the new Head of Security. He pestered her and played pranks on her, annoying her beyond measure until she was often at her wit's end and would either storm down to his office or try and arrest him without proof. The first time it'd happened, Jo had locked him up in her holding cell for two hours until Doctor Deacon had found out and told her to release the Section Five Head, which had stunned her. She hadn't known he was one of the Section Heads; no one had told her. In fact, no one had told her anything about Section Five except that it was home of technology made to help the military; which automatically became something Jo was invested in, given her background. She had taken considerable interest in that particular section, to the point where everyone assumed it was because of Doctor Donovan specifically.

The pranks had continued, and after a while, Jo would retaliate on occasion. It was a classic case of Zane tugging on Jo's ponytail in class, and Jo shoving him into the dirt on the playground during recess in retaliation. They were children interested in each other and refusing to admit it. But then, after a failed first date, came the awkward second and third dates, and with them, rumors that the pair were sleeping together. Betting pools had sprung up all over town- and in the halls of GD- of when they would get engaged, when the wedding would happen, when the first baby would be born... and a year later, Zane had slipped his grandmother's engagement ring on Jo's finger. Not long after, they'd had the wedding, which had swirled with rumors that Jo was expecting- the reason for the rushed nuptials. Those swirling rumors had ended up coming true five months later; after enduring a long, painful labor, Jo had finally given birth to Caterina, and the baby girl was doted on by her parents; Mansfield was now certain that the flightiness Jo possessed in her youth was gone.

Apparently not.

Zane had called him up out of the blue one afternoon, in a panic, not long after they got pregnant with Eleanora, and asked for advice. He wouldn't say what for, just that he was worried something was going on with Jo. And so Mansfield had come out to Eureka under the pretense of a family visit- because everyone knew he was good friend's with Jo's father- and taken the young man aside, listening to his worries. The only advice he'd been able to give at the time was, 'Leave her be, I'm sure it's just the stress of the pregnancy. Once the baby's born, she'll settle back down and forget all about this little fancy of hers," which was probably the worst advice he could have ever given the young man, now that he thought back on it.

Were he honest, Mansfield actually quite liked Zane. He had not only a good head on his shoulders, but he genuinely loved his daughters and Jo, and didn't deserve the shit she'd put him through before leaving. And he evidently cared about this Jo as well... which is what made this so difficult. _On the one hand, she broke time travel protocols, she needs to face the consequences, but on the other..._

Zane turned back to Jo. "I can't let you do this. I _won't_ let you. You've done nothing wrong; you're showing up here was out of your control. You passed through a wormhole or a... a rift or a... an in-between in time and ended up here. It's not your fault." He gently brushed a curl off her cheek. "It's not your fault."

Mansfield glanced at Henry, Grace and Allison, not far away. They watched with concern on their faces.

"I won't let them take you. Whatever happened, you were meant to be here. I don't know why, but I'm gonna figure it out, but I can't do that if you're sanctioned in solitary or dead." He stroked her cheeks, forehead resting to hers; it was evident, that only they mattered at the moment. Jo shook her head, meeting his gaze.

"I'm sorry, Zane, but there's nothing you can do okay? Nothing." Her voice was clogged with tears, and she tried to smile, but failed horribly. He shook his head, even as she pulled away, turning back to Mansfield-

It happened so fast, no one had any time to breathe. Zane grabbed her wrist, pulling her back into him, his mouth catching hers. She tasted like fresh morning coffee and cherry gloss, and he gently trailed his tongue along her bottom lip, asking for entry, which she granted. His hands moved to cradle her hips, and despite handcuffs, she reached up to caress his cheek as the kiss deepened. For the briefest of moments, he pulled away, only to have her follow and recapture his mouth. Eventually, he slowly pulled away from her, meeting his gaze as he leaned back. Over her head, he noticed the Mansfield had the decency to look away and give them privacy.

He'd kissed Jo plenty of times over the last several weeks- quick pecks, soft dips, gentle brushings, a very, very rare tasting, telling himself it was all to keep up the ruse they'd concocted- but nothing nowhere as deep and familiar as that kiss had been. A tiny smile flitted briefly across his face, even as she choked out,

"Wh... why didn't that... feel like a first kiss? Like a real first kiss? Not a fake one?"

He glanced at Mansfield, but didn't say a word. Instead, he reached for her again, but she stepped back, pulling away. "No. No, no, no, no. I'm sorry, Zane." When she turned back to Mansfield, nodding for him to open the door and let her slip into the back, Mansfield made up his mind. The click of the handcuffs opening caused Jo's spaced gaze to snap to her adoptive uncle as he removed the handcuffs from her wrists, snapping them closed. "What are you doing, Uncle Theo?"

"I can't, Josephina. I should, because you did break protocols, but I know you, regardless of the timeline, and you wouldn't do so deliberately. Something brought you into this universe. It's not your fault you ended up here. Nothing of what you did was intentional." She silently rubbed her wrists where the cuffs had rubbed, listening.

Slowly her dark eyes moved to his, and he gently set the cuffs and key in her palm. "What are you-"

"I'll tell them that it was a miscommunication error, that one of the experiments the brainiacs here created went on the fritz and that the readings you were getting in security was a possible time traveler, only to discover that it was just miscommunicated data from an experiment in a neighboring lab." He took Jo's hands. "I made a promise to your mother before she died that I would look out for you. I wouldn't be keeping my promise if I sanctioned you." He glanced at Zane, who breathed a soft sigh of relief. After a moment, he went to the younger man, leaning close, his voice low in the young doctor's ear. "You take care of her. Help her figure out how to live in this new world. She needs you, just as much as you need her, even if she won't admit it."

Zane nodded, and Mansfield pulled way, giving Jo a quick hug and a kiss to the forehead before leaving. Once he was gone, Henry, Allison and Grace rushed to them. "You're staying?" Allison asked, and Jo nodded, meeting her gaze. She appeared to be in shock over what had taken place. She'd come into work today expecting to be taken into custody and sanctioned, only to find herself free and off the hook, because of a promise Mansfield had made to her mother before her death. Before she knew it, she was wrapped in Allison's arms, and slowly, she returned the hug. "Oh, thank God."

Jo couldn't figure out if she felt the same relief or not.


	25. Chapter 25

_"Dear Queen Of Hearts, I'ma grow you white roses_   
_So you can learn to be kind_   
_Tell King Of Hearts, to arm all his forces_   
_So you can learn to be kind."_

_\- Queen of Hearts,_

_Velvet Moon_

Jo had asked Allison, Grace and Henry if they could all meet for dinner at Cafe Diem the next night; she wasn't feeling up for meeting at Cafe Diem tonight, she simply wanted to try and absorb what had happened, and the fact that Mansfield had _basically_ said he would lie to keep her safe. The others readily agreed. Henry finally decided that Jo should take the day, especially given the morning she'd had, and for Zane to go with her. "If I know Jo, she's going to stew about this the rest of the day, which will do nobody at GD any good, so take her home and keep her occupied."

When they got back to the house, Zane sent Jo upstairs to take a shower, and headed into the kitchen, the mail from the last couple of days in his hands. A couple bills for their records, a few flyers, a magazine or two and a letter addressed to 'Josie and Zane' postmarked Germany, which meant it could only be from one of three specific people, but he couldn't remember which of his brother-in-laws was stationed in currently Germany. Absentmindedly, he set the letter down and then went to the fridge, pulling out a carton of orange juice and then grabbing a glass. _"I can add the orange juice for you if you like, Zane."_

He glanced quickly ceiling-ward. "Contrary to most of the scientists in Eureka, I still prefer my orange juice from the carton. Thank you for the offer, though, AIDA." Absentmindedly, he set the glass under the ice maker on the fridge, turning back to the letter on the island and forgetting to push the button. AIDA added the ice instantly, though. "Thank you, AIDA."

When he finally set the glass on the island, he quickly opened the envelope. _"You seem distracted, Zane. And you and Jo are home early. Is something the matter?"_

"Just... had a difficult morning. Jo wasn't doing too well, and so Henry sent us both home." He quickly poured the glass and returned the juice to the fridge before taking a sip.

Setting the mail aside, except for the letter, he headed upstairs. He entered the room to see her shimmy out of her underwear and toss them into the hamper with her bra and then wrap the towel laying on the bed around her. Her long dark hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and he didn't bother hiding the lust in his voice or eyes as he spoke, leaning against the door jamb. glass and letter in hand. "Feel better now, knowing that General Mansfield is on our side?"

She jumped, unaware that he'd come upstairs, and turned, hastily tucking in the end of the towel. A moment passed, before he watched her visibly relax, and he chuckled, going to the nightstand on his side of the bed and setting his glass and the letter own before going to her. Without a word, she curled into his chest, and he automatically wrapped his arms around her, pressing a soft kiss to her hair. "I was fully prepared to be thrown in solitary or executed today." Her voice was clogged with tears, and he shuddered, holding her tighter. He was so grateful to Mansfield for not going through with arresting her, and he owed the man a massive debt he wasn't sure he could repay.

He pulled away, meeting her gaze. A moment passed, as he reached up, gently caressing her cheek. "To think I almost lost you to your sense of right and wrong." She blushed, lowering her gaze briefly before returning it to his. "I get it, you were raised military, but Jo, you're _former_ military now. Essentially, you're a civilian working for the government. You can't just think of yourself anymore, you have to think of others."

"I _was_ thinking of others." She whispered, voice small, and he sighed; he'd struck a nerve, blatantly calling her out for turning herself in to Mansfield.

"I know, babe." He pressed another kiss to her hair, before kissing her forehead and then moving down to peck her softly on the lips. "Go take your shower."

She nodded, slipping into the bathroom as he went to the bed, taking a seat and removing his shoes. With a sigh, he turned to the letter, pulling it out and unfolding it. Jo and her brothers exchanged emails, phone calls and video calls often, and it wasn't that strange to see a letter or two in the mail, or a small package of sweets or other interesting things they thought their sister and her family would enjoy. He looked up as the shower started, before returning his attention to the letter. His gaze quickly scanned over the letter, and he chuckled.

"What's so funny?" His head snapped up; he'd been completely unaware that Jo had finished her shower. It took a moment, but he forced himself to swallow as he took in the water glistening on her skin. She raised an eyebrow, and he shook his head.

"Right. Sorry. Uh... Luca wrote us."

Her brow furrowed. "Luca?" She hurried to him.

"Yeah, your brother."

"I _know_ who he is, but... Luca's been out of the service for... six years. Honorable discharge. He and his wife and kids live in Boston."

"No, babe, Luca's stationed in Munich-" He stopped as it suddenly hit him. "Right. Sorry. I forgot, two separate timelines." Jo blushed, relieved she wasn't the only one that had forgotten. "In this timeline, your brothers are all still active duty. Ricco is in Afghanistan, Davie's in the Philippines, and Luca's in Munich." He handed her the letter, and she turned her attention to it.

"I'm the only one stateside." It was more question that statement, and Zane nodded. She handed the letter back to him and worked on drying off and getting dressed. Taking a sip of his juice, Zane cleared his throat.

" _'Dear Josie and Zane, I hope everything's going well for you both. Things here are going as well as expected. Munich is Munich and Germany is Germany; it's not like I haven't been stationed here before, and while it was nice to catch up with old friends I haven't seen since my last deployment here...'_ " Jo snorted softly at her brother's words; of the three of them, Luca was perhaps the most honest and upfront. He never minced words, always got straight to the point, and often was so blunt, the cut was deeper and more jagged than if his words were sharp and precise.

She was closest to Luca, not just in age but just in general, and the two often teamed up against Ricco and Davie when they were children. In the Alternative timeline, Luca had been honorably discharged and returned stateside, marrying his high school sweetheart, Callie. They had two boys, who Jo adored; she'd seen them before going up to Canada during her walkabout. And in the original timeline...

In the original timeline, Luca had returned home not long after Jo, only he had come back in a flag draped coffin. The death of her closest brother had sent her into a downwards spiral she hadn't been able to get out of, and Jo had gone so far as to turn to scripts and self-harm as a way to cope. She had been truly grateful to Evan; he'd stuck by her the entire time, and it had been his offer to come up to Vancouver that had helped save her life- he was planning on starting a new tech company, and he wanted her as his business partner, but he would only allow her the position if she got herself clean. The promise of starting up a new business, of having something to distract her from her grief had done the trick, and in a matter of months, she'd been clean and sober. It was one of the reasons why Jo always refused painkillers if she could. She never wanted to feel that dependent on something that addictive again.

"You okay?" She looked up as she pulled her dress back on; it was soft and comfortable, and she wasn't feeling like pulling something else on. A moment passed, as she took her hair down, and tucked a strand behind her ear, unaware that Zane had finished reading the letter and that she'd heard next to nothing after those first initial lines. "Hey, don't do that, Jojo."

"Sorry, I just... in my original timeline," She swallowed thickly, feeling his gently brush the tears off her cheeks. "Luca didn't come home. Not to Jersey." She forced herself to swallow again. "Arlington."

He nodded slowly, pulling her into his arms. When she finally calmed down, he pressed a kiss to her head and pulled away, going ot the nightstand and grabbing his glass before going to the door. "Coming?" She took his offered hand and followed him out of the room and down the stairs.

Once they reached the kitchen, Jo settled on one of the stools at the island, taking Luca's letter and reading it as Zane fixed lunch for them both. He set a cup of coffee in front of her, earning a smile in return, before returning to work on lunch. Jo stayed quiet, watching him work out of the corner of her eye as she scanned Luca's letter.

Zane had never been much of a cook in either of the previous timelines; he'd relied entirely too much on Vincent, as many in the town did, and found the idea of actually having to cook ridiculous. In the original timeline, Jo had tried to get him to look at cooking as another form of experimenting, but he hadn't bought it, and in the alternate-

"If you're going to ask, ask. Otherwise stop pretending to not watch me out of the corner of your eye, babe."

A flush appeared on her cheeks and she set the letter down, slightly surprised she'd been caught. "I didn't know you could cook. You never- in either of the other timelines- you didn't see the need for it, what with Vincent running Cafe Diem." She amended. He snorted, reaching for the parsley on the spice rack in the center of the island.

"Let me guess, neither version of me believed it to be anything more than 'domestication', right?" He didn't wait for her response, but a glance at her face told him he was right. "I look at cooking as another form of science, open to experimentation and testing. The right ingredients," He scooped a little of the sauce he was working on into the spoon and held it out. Jo glanced at him before tasting it, and he grinned at the look on her face as she savored the cacophony of spices he'd mixed into the dressing for the pasta salad he'd fixed. "often bring about the best results."

Her eyes opened and he smiled at her, before leaning over and kissing her soundly on the mouth. It wasn't very long, not less than a few seconds, but it conveyed everything he felt in that moment. The hurt that she'd so willingly handed herself to Mansfield, the fear at seeing her in handcuffs, the surprise at Mansfield releasing her and promising to keep her secret, and the relief at having her come home with him. He gently nudged her nose with his as he pulled away, kissing her forehead before returning to the pasta.

She blushed, returning her gaze to the letter on the table to hide her emotions. He cleared his throat, taking a sip of his orange juice before speaking again, as he dished the pasta onto two plates. As they settled down to eat, he said, "My grandmother."

An eyebrow rose. "What?"

"My grandmother taught me how to cook. She always said that, 'Men and women are one in the same; they have dual roles in life- their work lives and their home lives. A man who doesn't know how to cook is simply unaware of his second role; but a man who _refuses_ to cook is ignorant of his role and therefore does not deserve the life he may seek from a woman.'"

Jo chuckled. "She sounds like a very wise woman."

A wistful look settled over his features. "She was. Told me that I needed to look at marriage like a deck of cards." She furrowed a brow, and after a moment, he got up, slipping into the study and coming back with a deck of playing cards. He quickly took them out of the box and spread them across the island counter. "A deck has fifty-two cards, four suits. Clubs, spades, hearts and diamonds."

"Okay."

He pulled the Ace of Spades and the Ace of Clubs. "Certain people look at marriage as coming in spades, but aren't willing to put in the effort to make it so." He set the card in front of her. "Oftentimes, people don't even think, they just see the diamond, and think it's the most important thing, and then don't bother working on the marriage," He set the Ace of Diamonds before her. "They believe that because they have the diamond, the rest will come without having to work at it."

"No effort in the marriage."

He nodded, setting down the Ace of Clubs. "Right. Then there are those who get married and spend more time collecting 'clubs'- reasons to make a marriage fail- than they do making sure their partner is happy and content. The fighting becomes the ground their marriage is built on, and so they don't bother changing it or attempting to because that would require effort, and it's-"

"Easier to fight that fix the problem."

"Exactly." She watched as he then removed the two of the court cards. "In order for a marriage to _succeed_ , the man must remember that," He sighed. "that in order for him to be the King of Hearts, he needs to care for and respect his Queen. Because without the Queen of Hearts, there is no suit. Each of these suits consists of thirteen cards; thirteen things built up over time, to determine the strength and validity of the marriage. The diamonds are built entirely on the _idea_ of the marriage; the clubs on the other hand focus on everything _wrong_ in a marriage that will make it fail. The spades don't believe in working to make the marriage work, there may be a high amount of love, but if they don't work for it, that love won't last long."

"And the hearts suit?"

He set the King and Queen of Hearts before her. "According to my grandmother, of the four suits, the hearts is strongest, because the heart represents love,"

"And love is what makes a marriage work."

"Bingo." He sighed. "The King has to have love for his Queen, in order to make their marriage work. They have to be willing to work together for the sake of their marriage in order to make it last. If they have love, and they work at it, their marriage is sure to last. It's when they give up that things start to fall apart." Something flashed briefly in his eyes, and Jo couldn't help wondering if it had to do with _her_. But before she could ask, it was gone, and he smiled at her. He heaved a sigh.

"But the King is the strongest card in the deck; he outranks the Queen-"

"Maybe so, but how do you think he _got_ there?" She shrugged, meeting his gaze. A tiny smile tugged at his lips. "The King may be strong, but like in Chess, the Queen is stronger, though silent. She is the one that controls the King. And when they work together, only then, does the Ace outrank them both-"

"Because they're working together as one."

He nodded; neither were unaware that Zane had moved closer to her, reaching up and brushing a curl off her cheek. "Exactly."

Before either knew what was happening, they were kissing again; sweet and tender, broken only to be reunited longer. When finally they parted, he rested his forehead to hers. She swallowed, meeting his gaze. "I know I'm not her, but... do you think we can really make this work? Until we find what it was that sent me here and how I can get home?"

He pulled away, giving her a quick smile, trying hard to hide the pain that had cut through his heart at her words. A moment passed, before he nodded. "I think we can, but we have to work together-"

"As an Ace."

A soft nod, a gentle peck. He was going to do his best to keep the pain her words had cause him from coming to the surface. "As an Ace."


	26. Chapter 26

Eleanora and Annaleigh were thrilled to find that Jo hadn't been taken away, and rushed to hug her when they got home from dance. Caterina kept her distance, though she offered a tiny, fleeting smile in their direction as she watched her sisters hug Jo. The older woman smiled quickly at the teenager, who glanced at her and then darted upstairs to take a shower; after deflecting several questions, Zane sent the other two upstairs as well. Once gone, Jo returned to the kitchen.

She helped Zane fix dinner, thoughts bouncing about her head in autopilot. Could they really make this work? Pretend to be the happily married couple with the three beautiful daughters? Pretend that they'd fixed their mistakes and that _her_ affair had just been a momentary blip on the radar? But then what about the letters she'd found in her office that morning? Could they really pull off the 'happy family' everyone in town saw? And what happened if they managed to figure out a way to get her home to her time? What if they managed to figure out how to send her home and she'd already fallen in love with the girls by then? Could she really leave those three beautiful little girls, even if they were hers from another timeline? And what about Zane? Could she really leave him? _But your Zane is probably back from Titan, and looking for you-_ It was only when Zane slid a hand along her waist that she tore herself from her thoughts and turned to him. "What is it?"

He snorted softly. "Someone's preoccupied. Anything I can help you solve, Jojo?" She looked up him, discovering that their lips were inches apart. She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped. Instead, she found herself closing the gap, again. When they slowly broke the kiss, Zane grinned, that smirk she knew so well dancing across his features. "You know, I don't think I ever told you how _sexy_ you look in that dress."

She glanced at him as he leaned down to press a kiss to her shoulder. "No, I don't think you did."

"Well, you look... incredible." His arm slid around her waist, gently pulling her close. "It was definitely a good choice. You stunned everyone today, including Mansfield. I don't think anyone had expected you to come walking through GD in that sultry little ensemble. You cut quite the striking figure today, love." A soft smile met him, and he leaned down, kissing her softly again.

"Do you have to do that here? Can't you get a room?" They broke apart as Cate came into the kitchen, fresh from her shower, and grabbed the plates. Zane blushed, chuckling nervously.

"Trust me, sweetheart. Us 'getting a room' was how we ended up with _you_ fourteen years ago."

The teenager made a face and darted into the dining room. "Eww."

"At least it wasn't a closet." Jo snorted softly, as the two younger girls came downstairs, hair damp. Zane furrowed a brow at her, but didn't ask, though he filed it away for later. They helped Cate set the table, and soon everyone was seated, passing plates and dishes, sharing stories and chatting. Jo and Zane shared an occasional glance across the table, which the girls didn't miss.

"You're _really_ staying?" Eleanora asked; she'd been the most worried, having confronted Jo that morning in the hallway. She glanced at Zane, who chuckled softly. "Daddy?" Eleanora turned to him. "Mama's really staying?"

"She's _not our mom_ , Ela." Cate cut in, and Jo returned her gaze to her food.

"She's a _version_ of her, Cate." Annaleigh replied, blue eyes sparking. Of the three, Annaleigh appeared to be closer to Jo in personality- quiet, patient and meticulous about everything- the middle Donovan daughter may have looked like her father in regards to hair and eyes, but her personality was all her mother. She wasn't as blunt as Cate, nor was she as laid-back as Ela seemed to be. She was definitely somewhere in between.

 _"Before you arrived, Anna asked repeatedly to be taught how to shoot, but_ she _always turned her down, saying that Anna was too young. I think it was more that she just didn't want to have to teach her."_ Zane had told her as they'd fixed dinner. That the one most like her in personality had an interest in guns... maybe she was Jo's kid after all, regardless of the timeline.

"Hey Annaleigh?" The twelve-year-old turned to her. Jo opened her mouth, stopping. She had to word this correctly; a glance at Zane before she turned back to the girl. "Do you want to learn how to shoot?" Silence fell about the table, and Jo worried that maybe Zane had been wrong in that regard, before,

 _"Really? You'd really teach me how to shoot? And how to handle a gun? And how to clean and put one back together? Really?"_ The child's shriek of delight started everyone, even AIDA.

_"Is everything all right, Anna? I'm detecting an elevated- "_

_"I'm fine, AIDA!"_ The girl replied, leaping from her chair and throwing her arms around Jo. _"Thank you, thank you!"_

The others watched the startled look cross Jo's face, before she recovered, and patted the girl on the back. Clearly this version of Jo wasn't used to showing affection, if the look in her eyes was any indication. Zane chuckled softly. "Not used to hugs, Jo?" Annaleigh pulled away, sitting back down and returning to her food as Jo visibly relaxed as being released from the girl.

"Not used to... children." She replied cautiously. At the girls' looks, she amended, "In my timeline, Zoe's away at college and Jenna is still little enough that all I really have to do is babysit when Allison and Carter need me to. Zane and I-" She stopped, rolling her eyes. "The _other_ Zane and I weren't anywhere near a stable relationship. It was more of a... endless... string of... goodbyes." She blushed, as the girls shared glances before realizing what she meant. "And... in my original timeline..." She stopped, biting her lip. "We'd been together since he got to Eureka, but we never... he always had a way of making me feel... dumb, and... didn't care that I... he just... he loved me, but... we didn't click. I guess," She met Zane's gaze across the table. "I guess it's a good thing I never accepted his proposal." She looked at each of the girls in turn. "So, forgive me if I seem a little stiff. I love children, I just... I haven't been around them much. I'm still learning."

"We're _all_ learning." Zane replied, reaching over and taking Cate's hand. The teenager turned to her father. It was evident his words were meant for her. "We'll figure this out together."


	27. Chapter 27

Jo spent the rest of the week fielding questions about her near-arrest; true to his word, Mansfield covered for her, promising to keep them updated. So by the end of the week, Jo wanted nothing more to go home and curl up on the sofa, learning as much about this new world as she could. But not this weekend. She'd promised Annaleigh she'd teach her how to shoot.

"What gun are we going to use first?" Jo turned to find Annaleigh at the bottom of the stairs, in a pair of worn jeans and a military t-shirt on, her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. For the briefest of moments, Jo was looking at herself at that age. She smiled softly. The girl's brow furrowed in worry. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, you just remind me of... of me at your age." The girl grinned, and she saw not Zane's quick smile, but hers. "Come here." She removed one of the small calibar guns from the rack and went over to the work table in the other half of the basement. In this timeline, she and Zane had split the basement, making half of it a shooting range, a lab station, and then the small studio for the girls had been added later. They pulled up stools, and Jo set the gun on the table. "Now, you're not going to fire it until you know _exactly_ how to dismantle it, what every piece is and how to put it back together. You need to pay close attention, okay?"

She watched Annaleigh's blue gaze move across the gun as she explained what each of the firearm was, where it went and what it did.

"Always- _always_ \- make sure the safety button is on, because if you don't and go to dismantle it-"

"- it'll go off." Annaleigh finished, and Jo nodded.

"Right. It's usually near the trigger." The child leaned close, watching. "Next, take out the magazine-"

"It holds the bullets."

"Mhmm." Jo took it slow, making sure the girl was paying attention, but she needn't have worried. The girl was enthralled, and took it seriously, asking questions when she didn't understand something, or if it wasn't clear. Once the gun was fully dismantled, Jo put it back together again, slowly so that she could watch, and then set it before Annaleigh. "Your turn."

"Really? I get to-"

"Yep. And I'm gonna watch." The girl grinned, reaching for the gun, before she stopped, suddenly nervous. She turned to Jo, who immediately recognized the worry in her eyes. She'd worn the same look when her father had let her dismantle her first gun. "Safety button first."

The girl did as told, clicking the safety on, before turning to her. Jo shrugged. "The... bullets..."

"The magazine." She watched the child carefully press the release button on the handle and slide the small compartment free, before setting it aside. "Good girl. The slide next." It took several minutes, before Jo reached over and tapped barrel. The girl quickly moved to remove the slide after finding the two buttons on either side directly above the trigger; in one quick motion, she'd pushed the string that forward and and then removed the barrel, setting it aside. "Good. Very good. Now, put it back together."

It took longer for Annaleigh to put it back together than it did for her to take it apart. By lunchtime, she'd gotten better at taking it apart, but putting it back together was clearly going to be a challenge. As they came upstairs to join the others for lunch, Jo patted her shoulder. "It's important to be able to put a gun together and take it apart, that way you not only avoid mistakes, but avoid shooting yourself or someone else. So, today's mainly going to be dismantling and re-mantling. Holding and firing will come another day. Okay?"

"I'm just glad you're willing to teach me. _She_ didn't want to teach me." Jo glanced at Zane, who was fixing a cup of coffee.

"Lunch is on the table. AIDA was in the mood for making sandwiches." Zane chuckled as Annaleigh headed for the dining room. "Hey, get back here and wash your hands, young lady." A blush crossed Annaleigh's cheeks before she did as told after Jo. Once Zane had inspected her hands, he let her go. Jo watched, quiet.

"You're not at all what I thought." He raised his eyes brows, setting a cup of coffee before her.

"Oh, really? And what was I supposed to be?" She shrugged, taking the cup with a soft smile.

"I don't know yet." He chuckled.

"Let's just say, the feeling's mutual, Jojo." He whispered, patting her gently on the hip as he passed, and after a moment, she joined them. After lunch, Annaleigh and Jo returned to the basement, and Jo spent the rest of the afternoon teaching the girl how to dismantle and re-mantle various guns in the gun safe. By the time dinner rolled around, Annaleigh could dismantle many of the guns in Jo's safe in her sleep. After sending the girls to bed, Jo returned to the basement, making sure everything was locked up tight before going upstairs. "You made Anna's day, you know that right?"

She turned, to see Zane waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. She shrugged, setting the key back on the hook. "I figure, the daughter of a law enforcement officer should _probably_ know how to take apart, put back together and fire a gun." He chuckled, going to her. His arms slid around her waist.

"Well, you made her exceedingly happy. Thank you." She nodded, as he leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. "Coming to bed?" She followed him upstairs, before stopping at the top.

"Actually, I think I'm going to stay up for a bit. Just can't sleep, maybe put a documentary on and work on a couple things." He raised an eyebrow, but let her go with a soft kiss. Once he was gone, Jo slipped into the kitchen, fixed a cup of coffee and then ducked into the living room. Curling up on the sofa, she grabbed the remote. "Hey AIDA?"

 _"Yes, Jo? Can I get you anything?"_ The soft-spoken AI had quickly taken a liking to the Head of Security; in fact, if AIDA were honest, she liked this Jo a hell of a lot more than the original Jo from this timeline.

"Would you be willing to pull up the girls' videos please?" She blushed, but AIDA didn't seem phased in the slightest.

_"Certainly, Jo, would you like me to start with Caterina's?"_

"Actually, could you pull up Annaleigh's for me?"


	28. Chapter 28

_"Are you excited, sweetheart? Your baby sister will be here soon." The little girl in Zane's arms leaned down to peck her mother quickly on the lips._

_"I'd have thought you'd have wanted a boy."_

_A familiar chuckle. "How many times do I have to tell you, Jojo, I will be perfectly content if all four of our children are girls."_

_"Four? We are not having four!" She lay back against the pillows, taking slow, easy breaths as Allison gently checked her progress. "There is no way in Hell I'm letting you touch me again after this one's born." She bit her lip, whimpering as the next contraction grabbed her around the waist._

_"You're eight centimeters, Jo-"_

_"That's good, right?"_

_"Um, yeah. Jo, you've done this before-" Zoe said, coming over to check her blood pressure._

_"Don't aggravate a woman in the midst of labor, Zoe, it won't end well." Zane said, shifting Caterina on his hip. Allison gently tapped her ankles, and she lifted her legs so Allison could check her progress._

_"Did we miss it? Is the baby here yet? It hasn't been born yet, has it?" The camera turned, panning to see Kevin and Jenna tumble through the infirmary doors, out of breath and excited._

_"Please tell me you didn't speed from the airport." Allison scolded as her two oldest children hurried over; after giving both Zane and Jo each a hug, she stole Cate from Zane._

_"We didn't, Mom. Well, maybe a little. But we wanted to make sure we didn't miss it." Kevin replied, pulling away from Jo._

_"You two are fine. She's still dilating and her water hasn't even broken yet-" Carter's voice came from behind the camera. The sound of something bursting brought everyone's attention back to her thought._

_"You had to say it, didn't you, Carter?" Zane and Zoe helped her sit up; he perched on the edge of the bed behind her, holding her close. Pressing a kiss to her shoulder, the young Section Five Head took her hand._

It was surreal, watching these home videos, knowing that this wasn't her life- it could have been her life, if she hadn't left Eureka, if she and her Zane had decided on what they were, if she'd accepted the original Zane's proposal. She pulled the throw on the arm of the sofa over her lap, picking at the material in silence as she watched her and Zane's middle daughter enter the world.

_"Here she is! Here's your baby girl, Jo!"_

_Allison lifted a screaming newborn from between her legs, and she relaxed back against Zane, feeling him kiss her temple. "I'm so proud of you, Jojo."_

_Once the baby was laid in her arms, she turned her gaze to his. "Annaleigh."_

_"Hmm?" Zane had to tear his gaze from the newborn in her arms._

_"Annaleigh. This is Annaleigh."_

_He smiled softly at her. "It's perfect for her."_

She sniffled, surprised to find that she had started to cry. Maybe it was the entire situation, or the fact that she felt as though she were starting to become attached to all three of the girls no matter how hard she tried not to- and that, was an issue in and of itself. She was getting attached, something she shouldn't be doing. These weren't her children, this wasn't her timeline.

The video about Eleanora's birth was drastically different to Cate and Anna's. She could already see the rifts that had slowly begun to appear in their marriage, and while it was still a happy occasion, there was evident tension between the two. Clearly, she had begun to pull away from Zane- had she started the affair by then, or was it after Eleanora was born? If she hadn't wanted another child, why had she had another?

By the time she finished both videos, she decided that her counterpart was an idiot, for giving up such a wonderful, amazing man. Setting the cup in the sink, she made her way upstairs, going to check on the girls. Stopping outside Annaleigh's door, she sighed. A moment passed before she pushed the door open, poking her head in. The twelve-year-old was sound asleep, curled up under the blankets, clinging to a stuffed mouse dressed in a witch's costume- it was quite adorable, and Jo slowly knelt down by the bed reaching up to stroke her fingers through the black curls.

Something, deep in her heart, told her that of all three of the girls, Annaleigh was hers. Not just in DNA and looks, despite the timelines, despite everything, Annaleigh was hers. This was the little girl her counterpart had been closer too, but not for the reasons she should have been. She was probably closest to Annaleigh because she believed that Annaleigh was her last, and had been disappointed when she'd gotten pregnant with Eleanora.

_That's not right. A child isn't a bargaining chip; a child is an extension of love. Nothing more, nothing less._

The girl shifted under her touch, and Jo couldn't help the smile. _"Mama."_

"I love you, baby girl." Then, she leaned up, pressing a soft kiss to the girl's forehead before slipping out of the room and going to her and Zane's room. She quietly changed out of her clothes into a pair of pajama bottoms and a tank top, before crawling beneath the blankets and cuddling close to Zane. In his sleep, he shifted opening his arms and allowing her to curl into his chest. Once she was settled, he wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her head. "I don't understand how she could not love your girls. They're not even mine, but I love each of them as if they were."


	29. Chapter 29

_Two Months Later_

Day by day, hour by hour, it was getting easier and easier for her to fill the role left behind by her alternative self.

They hadn't stopped trying to figure out what had sent Jo into this timeline, but between the disasters, near-death experiences, constant threats of world elimination and parenthood,what time they had was often limited to what they could carve out among the chaos. Zane had taken to bringing a tablet with data he could analyze on it home, taking a hour or so before going to bed to look over it for anything that might lead them to what had caused Jo's mysterious appearance. From what they could figure, it _wasn't_ due to the Einstein-Grant Bridge device; that thing had never worked, and it sat rusting in the Eureka Museum, not even brought out for Founders' Day.

Not that Jo minded; she was quickly becoming content to have the investigation into her sudden appearance stall, and didn't particularly want to think about would happen if- _when_ , because this _was_ Eureka, and it would only be a matter of time- Zane and the others found the cause of her mysterious arrival in their version of Eureka. And while they researched and pieced together Jo's mystery, the woman in question was piecing together Zane's.

She found Zane's life with _her_ just as fascinating- from their first meeting to their marriage to the births of their girls- but also exceedingly rage inducing.

Not at him, never at him.

At herself.

Jo could honestly say she'd never been more mad at herself than she was now. That her counterpart would be so callus, so flippant, in regards to her marriage- it didn't make sense! Sure, she and Evan had been together once, back in her original timeline, long before Jo had ever even _heard_ of Eureka, but that was when they'd been kids, and any relationship that had developed afterwards- especially during the startup of Cross Photonics- had been fleeting, a passing fancy. They were ships passing in the night, meeting for a moment on the wide open ocean, never to cross paths again. Jo knew that, she understood that- and the fact that her counterpart hadn't, or didn't, or refused to admit it...

This takes being mad at yourself to a whole new level.

All the research she'd done, the home videos she'd watched, the stories she'd listened to- from the girls and Zane- were making it easier for her to fit into this timeline. She was no longer playing Jo Donovan, she _was_ Jo Donovan. The kisses and touches and steamy looks she often shared with Zane behind their coworkers' backs or over their heads were no longer fake and awkward, but very, very real. Awkwardness had turned to passion, passion into a spark- their spark, that very familiar spark she had felt with Alternative Zane and the original- which had gone and started a wildfire, consuming them both and planning on leaving no survivors.

It was always there, in every timeline.

And surprisingly, though they shared a bed, they hadn't fallen _into_ bed together- not yet.

Jo sighed, setting her data pad aside.

In the two months that had passed since her arrival, Jo had fallen into work easier than she had her home life; then again, she knew the ins and outs of GD like the back of her hand, so it wasn't too difficult to fall back into her role as the Director of Security. Her home life though, left much to be desired. Not so much her relationship with Annaleigh or Eleanora, or even with Zane; they were all perfectly willing to help her with whatever she didn't know or wasn't sure of. Slowly, the girls had come around as well; there were no more awkward silences over dinner, no more cautious glances when out in public, no more snickers or disdainful looks thrown at Jo behind her back, except for occasionally. It was Caterina who was the 'issue'- Jo balked; she hated using that word- but then again, Cate was a teenager, after all. Balking at her mother's authority was to be expected; but the disdain she held for Jo...

That was an entirely new issue; one Zane was constantly having to referee. At this point, Jo wasn't sure if she was grateful for summer break or not. With a sigh, she sat back in her chair and quickly swivelled it to face the computer; she'd come in a month earlier and changed things around, putting her computer in the open space in the wall behind her to give herself more space on her desk. It was slowly, starting to look more and more like her office back in the Alternate timeline. She'd stuck the letters her counterpart had written in the bottom drawer of her desk, not quite ready to deal with them yet.

With a sigh, she sank back in her chair, putting her foot against the lower ledge beneath where her computer sat and steepling her fingers. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to take a couple deep breaths to gather her thoughts. She wasn't in the mood to deal with Zane's daughters- no, her daughters, for however long she was here, they were her daughters as well- or the eggheads in this facility. It didn't help that she had to oversee one of Dr. Parrish's demonstrations down in the NLWPs lab; something about a crowd control device or... honestly, she'd zoned out when Henry had told her what they were working on. Clearly, regardless of the timeline, Dr. Parrish was still a pompous, self-serving ass. Some things never changed, even if the timeline did.

She heard the door to her office click open, and released a slow breath crossing her legs. "What do you need, babe?"

Silence, as the footsteps stopped. She could _hear_ Zane's brow furrowing in confusion, his quick glance around, and the realization that she'd simply swiveled her chair around to face the back. The footsteps started up again, but before she could turn around, he was leaning against the back wall of her office, hands in the pockets of his jeans, the silver clasp of his belt glinting in the light as he crossed one foot over the other. Jo had quickly discovered that while she usually chose pantsuits, Zane alternated between suits and jeans, button downs and blazers; on the very rare occasion he wasn't feeling like going full out 'Section Five Head', he'd wear a plain white or black shirt with a button down; similar to what he'd worn in the original timeline, only without the hoodies. It had quickly become apparent to her that her husband's style was a mesh of her original timeline, her Alternate timeline and this one. _"Whatever strikes your fancy as long as it's still professional,"_ She concluded one night after dinner when they'd been clearing the table. He'd simply shrugged and kissed her, much to the girls' chagrin. "Well, this is new."

She raised an eyebrow at his smirk. "I don't feel like dealing with people today."

"Present company excluded, I hope."

She smirked, and with a soft snort, lowered her hands. "The father of my children? Always." She replied, as he pushed himself away from the wall and moved closer. Seeing that as his allowance, with one hand resting on either arm of her chair, he leaned down, meeting her gaze.

"Now you're gettin' it." He breathed, capturing her mouth with his. What started off soft, soon grew, and she reached up, sliding one hand around to cup his neck and tangle in his hair. Their familiar sparks jolted at their touch, and Zane sighed softly into the kiss before reluctantly pulling away. "I came to see if you wanted to go get lunch. I was gonna go pick up the girls, since it's... you know, summer," He reached up, gently tucking a loose strand behind her ear. "and then head over to Cafe Diem. Figured we could make a family thing out of it. What'd'ya say, Jojo? Come get lunch with me and our girls?"

She bit her lip. She was sorely tempted- "Lunch sounds fantastic, Zane,"

"But?"

She sighed, slumping back against her chair. "But I have that demonstration down in Dr. Parrish's lab in an hour and a half. Something about... crowd control or... RSK or something."

"The RSS device?" She nodded as he straightened. "They're actually going to test it?"

"What do you mean?" He shrugged, hands back in his pockets.

"Nothing, just... Parrish has been working on that thing for the last couple years. I'm surprised he hasn't scrapped it yet."

She snorted, swiveling her chair to face her desk, as he perched on the edge. "Apparently not. Maybe he should."

His brow furrowed. "What'd'ya mean?"

She looked up from the paperwork she'd been neglecting. "Nothing. Just as long as it doesn't induce major rage, it should be fine. Who knows, in this time, Parrish might actually be a competent asshole."

Now Zane was really confused. "I'm... sorry, what?" She waved it away, and he caught her hand. "Oh, no you don't. You know something. Come on, Jojo, what is it?"

She sighed, her paperwork abandoned as she turned to him. A quick glance around, before she reached for the button on the underside of her desk that activated the sonic protocols. Zane inhaled, understanding that this was clearly something from her timeline, but kept quiet. "Look, in the Alternate timeline... Parrish was... well, an ass." Zane snorted softly, playing with her fingers. "And... he had this... RSS device that was supposed to emit a calming affect on crowds to control them-"

"But it did the opposite." She nodded. "Let me guess... some major rage was released on Eureka?"

"No. Just GD."

"I think you'll be safe, babe." She raised an eyebrow, but gave it to him. "Why don't you come with me and the girls? It'll be a chance to spend some time together as a family-"

"We spend time as a family together all the time, Zane. Besides, you can handle three teenage and preteen girls, they are your children after all." She chuckled as he pouted. "Oh what's a'matter, Daddy, don't want to be left alone with your babies? Afraid you can't handle them?"

"I can handle them just fine. I spent a month handling them and their antics while you-" He stopped, as the awkward silence settled between them. "Right. Wrong timeline." He stood, leaning down to steal a kiss. "Want me to at least pick you up something? Your usual?"

"Sure." She deepened it slightly before he pulled away. "Zane-"

"Have fun with Parrish's demonstration." Before she could say anything else, he was out of her office. And then there was that-

Jo wasn't going to pretend that the awkwardness of bringing up her counterpart wasn't there; she had quickly learned that for all Zane's differences with his Alternate and original timeline counterparts, there was one thing that didn't change- his passive-aggressive nature. She sighed; that was something he would never outgrow, no matter how old he got, and no matter what timeline he was in. So far, he'd met her head on with the differences between their timelines, however this... _her_... was still a sensitive topic to him.

And why wouldn't it be? Her counterpart had all but flaunted her affair in his face, made it very clear that the children she shared with him were not her priority, that the last of his beloved daughters- not necessarily conceived with the _intention_ of saving her parents' marriage- had been, at least on her mother's part, an attempt to put her blatant affair behind her and finally accept that the man she'd chosen to have a family with was the man she needed to stay with. She knew that Zane had never seen Eleanora as a bargaining chip as _she_ had; he'd merely seen the baby they'd created as theirs, an extension of their love, and he treated the girl as such. He'd tried his hardest to shield his daughters from their mother's affair, even at the expense of his own pain.

With a sigh, she pulled the small thumb drive from the pocket of her slacks and studied it. It was the one video she hadn't had the heart to watch; though she'd stumbled upon it one night when she couldn't sleep, and had been downstairs in the living room, watching some of the family videos again. Instead, she'd asked AIDA to download it onto a thumb drive, determined to watch it when she next had a chance.

Taking a deep breath, she swiveled back to her computer and turned it on, sticking the thumb drive into the port once it was up and running. Quickly clicking on the video, she sat back and let it play. Nothing happened for several minutes, before her counterpart appeared on screen, taking a seat on the bed in what appeared to be a hotel room of some sort. Dressed in a pair of jeans, a tank top and a sweater, her hair tumbled down her shoulders in waves and she pulled her legs beneath her and took a deep breath.

 _"Hi Zane, I... I know you're probably watching this and scratching your head, wondering why you're getting a video message from me instead of... me being back in Eureka. Simple, really. I'm not coming back to Eureka."_ She looked around the room, running her hands slowly over the comforter she was sitting on. _"Look, it's not that I don't love you, Zane, I just... I'm not_ in _love with you anymore. And maybe I never was. Don't get me wrong, I love our girls, they're wonderful, but... but this marriage, this family? This... job? That town? I can't do it anymore, Zane. I'm not happy. I tried. I really tried, and I thought... I thought if we had Eleanora..."_ She paused, biting her lip.

 _"I thought that if we had Eleanora, then, maybe she would help save our marriage. I was wrong. I just..."_ A moment passed, as she took a deep breath. _"I can't do it anymore, Zane. I'm sorry. But I'm not happy here, I'm not happy with you. I've come back up to Vancouver, and I'm going to take my old job back, at Cross Photonics. You've already got the divorce papers, all you need to do is sign them. And I'm giving you full custody of the girls; I know you'll raise them better than I ever could. I was never meant to be a wife or a mother_. _Please, let the girls know that this isn't their fault; some marriages just... don't work out. Ours just happens to be one of them."_

Her blood boiling, she yanked the thumb drive from the computer, studying it for the briefest of moments before turning and yanking open the bottom drawer where the letters were. She tossed the thumb drive into the drawer, and slammed it shut, standing and straightening her jacket. _That... that... selfish bitch! How dare she-_ Her thoughts were interrupted by the alarm going off on her PDA. With a roll of her eyes, she stormed out of her office.

Thank God she had Parrish's stupid demonstration now, otherwise she'd probably have hunted her counterpart down- in whatever timeline she was in- and rip her limb from limb.


	30. Chapter 30

"Isn't Mama coming?"

Zane glanced at each of the girls as they took seats at one of the tables at Cafe Diem. He'd met the girls at home; they'd stayed home and were in the middle of a _Harry Potter_ marathon. "Mama would love to be here, but she had a demonstration she had to be at. But we'll pick something up and take it over to her after we finish lunch, okay?" Annaleigh and Eleanora nodded; Cate simply rolled her eyes.

"Hey Zane, uh... no Jo today?"

Zane shook his head as Vincent made their way over to them. "Not today, Vince."

"Mama had to work." Eleanora spoke up sadly. Vincent nodded in understanding.

"Fully understandable. I don't see how your wife does it, as Head of Security. The amount of stress she's under daily working at GD." He shuddered. "You're a very brave, brave man to sleep next to her every night, knowing what she has to deal with." Zane glanced at his daughters, raising an eyebrow at their soft laughter. "I wouldn't be able to do her job, what with the amount of pent up rage she probably feels with some of those scientists." He leaned close, drawing the girls and Zane closer as he spoke. "Personally, between you and me, if I were in her shoes, I'd have put a bullet in someone long before now."

Zane opened his mouth to speak, before stopping. "I'm amazed she hasn't, Vince." He glanced at each of the girls. "So, what do you want?"

"Daddy, could we get pizza?" Eleanora asked excitedly. Zane raised an eyebrow. "Please?"

"Maybe another time, kiddo. Okay?" The girl pouted softly, before reluctantly agreeing. He turned to Vincent. "And can I place an order for Jo? I'll pick it up when we're done and drop it off to her on my way back to GD after dropping the pups off back home." Vincent readily agreed, taking down Jo's order as well. Once their orders were placed and their drinks brought, Zane studied each of his daughters. "So, how's the shooting, going, Anna?"

His middle daughter looked up from fiddling with her straw; she beamed. "Mama said we could go to the shooting range at GD this weekend. If it's okay with you." She added. Zane furrowed a brow.

"Why would you have to okay it with me?"

Anna bit her lip. "'It's always good to have someone else know who you're going to be with and where you're going to be when you have a gun. Or guns. In case something goes wrong', as Mama says." She blushed as her father nodded

"Makes sense."

"Anna, she's _not_ our mom. Mama's gone, she's just... holding her place until Mama gets back." She stopped, finding herself the object of her father's stare. "What?"

_"Caterina."_

The girl sighed, rolling her eyes. "Well, it's true. Just because she's-" She stopped as Vincent brought out their orders. Once he was gone, she continued. "Just because she's been here for two months, doesn't mean she's our mom."

Zane sighed, taking a sip of his coffee. "We'll discuss this later, after Jo and I get off work." He replied, voice low. They ate in silence for several minutes, before Eleanora asked,

"Daddy?"

Zane turned to his daughter, swallowing the bite he'd taken. "Hmm? What's on your mind, pup?" He didn't know where the nickname had come from, but somewhere between Caterina and Eleanora, he had started calling his daughters 'pups', and the nickname had just stuck. Jo had shaken her head and rolled her eyes the first time she'd heard it, but let him be. Over the years, with each girl, the nickname had stuck, and it wasn't uncommon for others in the town to hear him refer to their 'pups' when it came to the girls and whatever chaos they were causing at the time.

"She's gonna stay, right?"

Silence fell over the table, and Zane licked his lips, trying to figure out what she was asking. "I- I don't-" He started, but Cate cut him off.

"She keeps talking about going back to her own timeline, Daddy." Cate whispered. "She doesn't actually want to stay here. She wants to go home to her timeline, with her Zane. She's only here because she has to be."

"That's not true!" Annaleigh cried. "She loves us!"

"Oh, wake up, Anna! She's only staying here because we don't know how she ended up here in the first place, and once Daddy and Uncle Henry and Aunt Grace and Aunt Allison figure out how she got here and how to send her back, she's gonna leave, just like Mama was planning to." She glanced at her father. "I told you that you shouldn't get attached to her!" Then, without another word, the teenager got up, storming from the cafe.

"Everything all right, Zane?" Carter asked as he, Henry, Allison and Grace came in for lunch. The younger man sighed, standing.

"Yeah, Cate's just... being a teenager. Would you mind watching the-"

"Go ahead, Zane, we'll watch the girls for you." Grace cut in. He nodded his thanks and dashed to catch up with his oldest daughter.

She was sitting under one of the trees in the green, knees pulled to her chest, trying hard not to cry. Zane sighed, hands in his pockets as he watched his oldest daughter. He knew Cate; she refused to cry if she could help it, so much like Jo. With a sigh, he joined her; she glanced at him, but tried to pretend his arrival didn't bother her. "Cate, what's going on, huh?"

"She was going to leave and she didn't care."

He furrowed a brow. "Who? Jo?"

The girl shook her head. "No! Mama." She sniffled, meeting his gaze. "I was found a video she'd made; up in Vancouver. She said she was going to stay up there, and that you needed to sign the divorce papers because she didn't want to be married to you anymore, and she didn't want us." The girl continued to speak, unable to keep from crying, and Zane pulled her into his arms. _"... and now she's leave... she wants to leave... she doesn't want... no version of her wants us... she never did... why did she have us if she never wanted us to begin with?"_ The girl broke down fully then, cuddled in her father's embrace.

Zane gently stroked her hair, letting her words wash over him, unsure of how to fully respond. Finally, after several minutes, Cate's sobs began to quiet, and he kissed her head. "It's okay, baby girl. I can guarantee none of that's true, sweetheart. Mama loved you all very, very much... and Jo loves you too, she's just... it's been tough on her, these last couple of months. But I'll talk to Jo, and I'll figure out what's going on, okay? Don't worry, sweetheart, we'll get things straightened out. I promise."


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yes, this is All the Rage...

Jo raised an eyebrow. "African honey bees? Since when are killer bees _non_ lethal?" She crossed her arms, glancing at Parrish.

"They're test subjects for the Riot Suppression System." He bit, not bothering to hide the snark. Jo sighed, plastering on a smile; she hated demonstrations, even less when it was just her. Why the hell had Henry decided to go get lunch with Grace, Allison and Carter? Wasn't the Head of Global supposed to be there for demonstrations? And what was the bullshit excuse he'd given when Jo had brought it up? _"It's one demonstration, Jo, I have the utmost confidence in you. Think of this as taking the training wheels off your bicycle- we've been holding your hand for the last two months ever since your near arrest with Mansfield, but we can't hold your hand forever. You're going to have to attend these on your own on occasion, besides, it's Doctor Parrish and the NLWPs lab; half the stuff he creates is completely harmless or isn't in the testing stages yet, so harmless. Consider this good practice, post-Near Arrest. We have the utmost confidence that you'll do just fine on your own."_

She had grumbled about it, but eventually waved him off, understanding that he was right- what was a couple little demonstrations that may not come to anything, after all? Besides, she was the Director of Security, the right hand of the Director she may be, but that didn't mean she had to be at his beck and call all the time, nor did she have to strictly follow his schedule. She had her own, which floated marginally around Henry's, only barely brushing with his on occasion. She'd have the specs emailed to him by the end of the work day. She could handle one teeny, tiny demonstration by herself. With a look, she gestured for him to start.

Parrish started going on about something in regards to his RSS device, and Jo swallowed thickly. Did his voice just _naturally_ grate like that? Was he always such a self-satisfied, over-confident _ass_? He was so patronizing- in the way he looked, in the way he talked, in the way he... hell, in the way he _existed_. Her head was pounding; she was _starving_ , and suddenly wished that she'd taken Zane up on his offer of lunch with the girls. God, she'd kill for a Vincepresso. Or maybe she'd just kill Parrish.

She jumped as it shorted out and sparked, sending a blue flash throughout the lab; the buzzing got louder, more aggressive. A sigh of annoyance escaped her, and she turned to him. "Just... make sure to send the specs to Doctor Deacon by the end of the day, Doctor Parrish." Then, without a second glance, she turned, storming out of the lab. "Pompous, arrogant-" Suddenly, lunch with Zane and the girls sounded wonderful. She pulled out her phone, dialing Zane's number; maybe she'd be able to still catch them at-

"Hey babe, it's me-" She looked up in time to see her husband making his way towards her, a takeout container in his hands. He was talking to Henry and Grace; Carter and Allison were trailing behind. Why the hell was Carter in GD if he had no business at GD?

Ending her call, she lowered her PDA and stalked over to him. He looked up at her, his conversation with Henry and Grace ending as he grinned at her. "Hey love. I picked up lunch for you before dropping the girls off at home. Greek salad with feta and raspberry vinaigrette and a Vincespresso with two cream and a dash of sugar, just as you like it."

"Thank you, babe." Her rising temper lowered slightly as he held out the takeout carton, and she smiled, reaching for it with a kiss-

_"Oh for god's sake! Stop flaunting it already!"_

Jo whirled around; arguments had started breaking out around the building, but the one who had interrupted Jo's much desired kiss was none other than Gwen Rowley, her second in command. "What the _hell_ is your problem, Gwen?"

 _"You! You're my problem! Flaunting your perfect relationship, your perfect marriage with your perfect children! Never mind that Donovan doesn't deserve a cheating skank like you!"_ Before anyone could respond, Jo had stalked over to her childhood friend and slapped her- hard. Among the rest of the fights and arguments, this appeared to be a petty cat fight- if it wasn't so out of character for either woman. Henry, Carter and Zane rushed to break them up just as Jo managed to get Gwen in a headlock.

_"Jo! Jo, stop!'_

_"_ _Jo_ _, let Rowley go!"_

 _"Babe, release her!"_ It took several minutes before the men were able even get close to them, let alone separate the two women; both had good combat training, and were able to each hold their own for several minutes, until Jo managed to gain the upper hand. Once parted, Allison and Grace quickly shuffled the other woman to the infirmary, promising they'd start running tests, even as Jo attempted to give chase, getting only a couple steps before Zane scooped her up, snatching her around the waist even as she let out a screech and a whimper of protest as he set her back on her feet. "Hey, hey, look at me! _Look at me, babe!_ " Zane reached up, grabbing her head and forcing her to meet his gaze. He opened his mouth to speak, when the shifting redness of her eyes caught him off guard. "Ah... Jo... what's with the freaky eye thing?"

It took a couple minutes for Jo to calm down, but once she did, he glanced at Henry and Carter. Head slightly clear, she turned to them, brushing a strand of hair off her cheek. "I went to... the NLWP lab's demonstration today like _you told me to_ ," She bit at Henry. "and... it didn't _work_. It... short-circuited and sparked and there was that this... flash of blue... That... self-centered, pompous, _arrogant ass_ Parish-"

"Did something happen?" Carter asked, glancing at the others. Jo took a deep breath. "What was it supposed to be? The... the demonstration?"

Jo rolled her eyes, turning to the sheriff. Why the hell was he even here again? "Crowd control. The... RSK device or whatever. It didn't work, obviously. The man's a damned moron. Why he's still here-" She rounded on Henry now. "Why you haven't _redacted_ that pompous as-"

"Um, Jo?" She turned back to Carter; if he had no official business here, he shouldn't be on the grounds. "I'm wondering if you might have been a smidge exposed to Parrish's device."

"I'm _fine_." She snapped, but the shifting red of her eyes told a different story. A moment passed, before she turned to Zane, noticing the looks of concern on everyone's faces. "It's... happening to me too... isn't it?"

He sighed, reaching up to caress her cheek. "Big time, babe. Come on, let's go see if Allison and Grace have found anything out."

 _"What're you lookin' at?_ " She snapped to a passing scientist who dared to glare her way. Zane grabbed her around the waist, forcing her to his side. Once inside the infirmary, Zane loosened his grip on his wife, pushing her gently towards Grace so she could do a scan as a bio-hazard was declared and the facility locked down.

"Anything, Allison?" The good doctor turned to them, studying the data on her tablet.

"The only thing we've been able to find are unusual levels of adrenaline, elevated blood pressure and heart rate, but nothing else. No bio-hazards or airborne chemicals. It doesn't make sense, it's like it's... rage. Everything we've seen so far are the physical and mental symptoms of rage-"

"So we're dealing with a bunch of mad scientists?" Carter asked. "I mean... what do a bunch of pampered scientists-" He was immediately shushed by the others as they tugged him into an unused corner of the infirmary. With one last look Allison moved to help Grace check on patients as Zane and Henry tried to explain what exactly was going on with everyone at GD. No one noticed Jo slip out of the infirmary until Grace went to run another scan.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And the end of All the Rage

" _Stupid_ fucking _timeline._ Bastards, all of them. They take _everything_ for granted, and _that bitch_ -"

She was on the hunt. She couldn't say _exactly_ what she was looking for, she just needed to find some poor soul alone in one of the corridors so that she could take out her aggression- since she wasn't able to take it out on the alternate version of herself because she couldn't _find_ the bitch. The pounding of the blood in her ears drowned out the screaming and arguing in the rotunda, and she stopped, backtracking.

A slow, wolfish smile tugged at her lips, and she took off at a run.

Her body collided with the bespectacled scientist and the two rolled; the scrawny, accident-prone geek put up a good fight, which was only mildly surprising. In her previous two timelines, she'd always assumed Fargo was too damned chicken to ever put up an actual fight. But Fargo was anything but chicken; he managed to throw her off him and climb to his feet before he grabbed her arm, twisting it behind her back. In retaliation, she slammed the heel of her foot into the top of his, pulling away and grabbing him by the throat.

"Jo!" She stopped, hearing the shout and rolled her eyes as she looked up to see Carter, Henry and Zane dashing across the rotunda towards them.

"Lookin' for a little _fun_ , boys?" She called. "Come to take on the Security Director that everyone thinks has lost her _mind_?" She turned back to Fargo, proceeding to tighten her hold, cutting off his air.

"No one thinks you've lost your mind, Jo, now let him go."

"Oh, _shove it, Carter!"_ But she released Fargo, and Zane and Henry quickly helped the bespectacled scientist to his feet and away from her as she rounded on who had been her former boss in both of her alternate timelines; he moved around behind her to try and disarm the younger woman, but she shifted, all her attention now on the sheriff. "What are you even _doin' here_ anyway? You're the _sheriff_ , you have no _need_ to be at Global Dynamics, it's _not_ your _territory_. This is _my_ territory, _my_ turf, and you're _trespassing_! And it's probably because you don't think I can do my job, _just like_ in the last timeline, just like in my original." She stepped closer, the rage in her building.

"That's not what I think, Jo." Carter's voice was steady, the Marshal in his kicking in, which irritated her all the more.

" _Right_ , of course you don't, but God forbid you ever _say_ it." She sneered at him, reaching behind her as she pulled the handgun from the holster at her back. "You think you can do my job better than me. You've _always_ thought that; you've _always_ thought that you could do _my job better than me_ , no _matter_ the timeline, _just like always_."

"Babe, we need you to come with us." She spun, aiming the gun at her husband. He watched her, drinking in the circles under her eyes that did nothing but highlight her exhaustion, the minimum amount of makeup she wore that didn't hide the strain, the wisps of that long black hair he loved that clung to her face and neck, which was coated in a light sheen of perspiration. "Jo, honey, we can't let you leave, not like this. Let me take you back to the infirmary, and you can help us fix this. Okay? Trust me, babe."

"I'm _not_ your babe." She ground out. "Get outta my way, Zane." He quickly mirrored her step for step, trying to block her exit, even as Henry and Carter slowly, cautiously moved to encircle her, closing off her other escape routes and boxing her in near the wall they were by.

"Jo, we need to get you back to the infirmary. Okay? The Vasopressin triggered from the device is flooding your brain and overstimulating-"

"Oh, there we go again, with the big words! _Doctor Brilliant_ , at it again, with your _perfect_ children and your _perfect_ life, except you're too _stupid_ to realize that your wife is cheating on you with her childhood friend!" She ignored Carter and Henry's warnings, her rage at her counterpart overflowing and latching onto the one person it could at the moment. _"You made her so unhappy she resigned! Did you know that? That she'd written her resignation letter and planned on leaving and never looking back! And then you get me, stuck in this fucking timeline, and you think you can just pick up where you left off! Like I don't have a life in my own timeline to get back to!"_

"Jo, you don't know what you're saying; it's the rage talking-" Zane replied, voice soft, hands up in surrender. Carter and Henry both moved to stop her when Zane shook his head at them. _We have to keep her talking._

 _"You plucked me out of_ my _life and decided I'd be a perfect fit for_ your _hellhole of a life! The life that bitch of a wife left! You didn't want her back, you wanted me to take her place! You pompous, selfish bastard!"_ She stepped closer. _"Move! Now!"_

"I can't. We need to take you back to the infirmary. We can't fix this without you."

She slowly and calmly, cocked the hammer, making as though she was going to fire without doing so, a sinister smile on her face. _"Move. Now!"_

"Jojo, _please_. We _need_ you. Our girls need you. _I_ need you. They love you, _I_ love you. I've _always_ loved you. In any timeline, babe. It's _you and me_ , always. There's not a timeline where we _don't_ end up together. We're a team, you and I. Always will be, in _every_ timeline." She stepped closer and he let her, showing her that he trusted her. There was a brief flash of something across her features, and she glanced back at Carter and Henry; it looked like she'd fought her rage and managed to win-

But then that flash was gone, and the rage was back, the sneer she'd worn earlier lighting up as the lights in the rotunda flickered. She squeezed the trigger.

The shot rang out; both Carter and Henry ducked. A scream reached them; Jo's small, lithe body slammed into the nearest wall as Zane pinned her against it. It took him several minutes, as he wrestled with her for the gun; she wasn't going to give it up without a fight and despite her strength, somehow, he managed to put the hammer back down and knock the gun out of her hand. He'd managed to find the right moment to lunge at her, knocking the gun up so that the bullet was fired into the ceiling. She let out a shriek, struggling to get away even as he held firm. _"You need to come_ now!"

" _Bite me, Donovan!_ " She screamed. He shoved her back against the wall, their lips only inches apart as he studied her, his voice husky and filled with longing when he spoke.

" _Don't. Tempt. Me, Sweetheart._ "

Still keeping her pinned against the wall, he quickly searched her pockets, eventually pulling out her handcuffs. He heard Carter collect her handgun as he flipped her around and quickly cuffed her. Once her hands were secure, he yanked her away from the wall.

"Great, let's get her back to the infirmary-" Carter turned back in time to see Jo dig her heels in; she clearly wasn't making this easy on Zane. He was just about to say something when his PDA rang and he quickly answered. "... um, yeah, Henry, Zane and I can fix it." He ended the call, turning back to the other two men. Zane, however, wasn't listening; he was too busy trying to get Jo to cooperate.

Before either could reply, Zane had scooped Jo up, throwing her over his shoulder. "I'm gonna take her back to her office, keep her away from everyone else, if she has only me to focus on she won't hurt anyone else."

_"Hey! Put me down, you bastard! Put. Me. Down. Now!"_

With his wife literally kicking and screaming against his shoulder, he turned back to Henry and Carter. "Jo said this started in the NLWPs lab; start there. Hopefully with Allison and Grace in the infirmary, we can fix this. I'll stay with Jo, make sure she doesn't hurt herself." He turned back to them "Oh! Since it apparently went through walls and infected everyone in GD at the time, it should be able to do it again."

"Why-" Carter began.

"Because I have a feeling I'm gonna have to put her in her cell to keep her from hurting herself, or me, and there's no way I'm letting her _out_ of that cell until _after_ this is all over."

Carter chuckled. "Good point." Henry nodded, and without a word, the three men parted ways.

Once they finally reached her office, he shut the door, locking it before setting her back on her feet. He groaned, as her rage continued to boil over, and she lashed out once more with her tongue, mainly because her hands were currently occupied. _"You son of a bitch! You think you're so brilliant, so smart! With that brain and that quick smile of yours!"_ Zane turned to her, brow furrowing in confusion, but Jo didn't notice. _"What kind of genius gets himself expelled from every Ivy in America, huh? What, was it some sort of game to you? Tossed out of the Holy Trinity and the Altar Boys all before you were seventeen? Sure, real big man, weren't you? With your felony convictions and your disdain for everything I stand for! I don't know what I ever, ever saw in you!"_

He couldn't respond, he wasn't even sure _how_ to; he could only stare at her in shock. And then it hit him; in all her rage, all her pent up frustration, Jo was unleashing everything she seemed to have been dealing with- not only in this timeline, but in the previous _two_ timelines as well. All the hurt, the pain, the humiliation and anger had boiled over, finding the external shock from the RSS device as an outlet- under the pretense of infected rage she was lashing out at everyone and everything that had caused her even an ounce of hurt in the other timelines; and the majority of it appeared to stem from him, or, at least the two other versions of him.

He quickly weighed his options- he could dispute her, remind her that this wasn't _either_ of her two previous timelines, and only succeed in making her angrier, or he could let her vent, let her get every hurtful word and ugly glare directed at her off her chest, until she either wore herself out or Henry and the others got the device fixed. Though at the rate things were going, the device would be fixed long before she wore herself out. He sighed, he really had no choice. Taking a deep breath, he made his way over to her and removing the key from his pocket. Quietly, he uncuffed her, grabbing her shoulders before she had a chance to flee.

 _"You want to take it out on me, Jo, fine. Have at it! I won't stop you! Don't hold anything back, tell me exactly what you think! Come on, I want to hear it!"_ He could feel the tears beginning to clog his voice, this was the chance he'd never gotten with his wife; for all the arguments they'd had over the years, Zane had always tried his _hardest_ to keep the peace in the house, especially when the girls were within earshot. The passive-aggressiveness he was famous for had often prevented him from saying what was _truly_ on his mind during their fights-

_No, arguments. A fight implies a physical altercation, and I never once raised a hand to her in any other way than love. No matter how hard she pushed for me to._

"Come on, Jo. _Let it out!_ You're angry, I know you are! And you have _every right to be!_ So tell me _exactly_ what you think about this whole mess! You think I can't handle it?" He chuckled softly, bitterly. "I've dealt with a _lot worse_ than whatever you can _dish_ out, _sweetheart, trust me_." She snapped at him and he let her go, only half listening to her tirade, a bitter knot tightening in his stomach. Had his beloved wife thought the same? Or was this all the result of two time jumps and a broken heart? He couldn't be sure, but he knew that deep down, a very tiny part of what she said was true.

 _"It doesn't matter the timeline you will always be a selfish son of a bitch! You're a leech! You sucked the life out of me! I had to leave! If I hadn't and you'd come back you would have drained me of everything I had to in two months!"_ He reared back as though struck, blue eyes wide in horror. _"And the worse part of this whole thing is that I still loved you! I have always loved you; I never stopped even when I tried! Even when Zoe tried to steal you away and I kept my distance I was still falling in love with you all over again! And to see her- my surrogate sister- trying to start a relationship with my guy! And you let her! You still saw her while you_ slept _with me until she discovered the truth! And even after she discovered the truth and cut ties with you I still stayed! I stayed and I let you-"_

She lashed out in anger; shoving him roughly, as hard as she could until he stumbled back against the nearest wall, blue eyes widening in shock; her chest was heaving, her breathing coming in quick gasps as she struggled to get her increasing heart rate under control. Despite the shock, Zane could see that the physical effects of the Vasopressin working overtime, and he knew that if they didn't fix it _soon_ , eventually the over-stimulation would be fatal for everyone affected. A moment passed, before he finally spoke. "Why weren't you _honest_ with me? Why didn't you _say_ anything?"

He'd gotten his fair share of shots in over the last however much time had passed, his own temper beginning to rise in response to hers. But now he kept his temper even, even as his voice rose and his tone fluctuated. The anger she was feeling was feeding into his already frayed temper; the weeks of having to hide the truth of not only Jo's sudden change in personality but the breakdown and impending breakup of his marriage becoming too much of a strain for the young man to handle. The timelines were evidently blurring for Jo- at least in her head- in some way, because she was mentioning things that hadn't happened to them- _him_ and _Zoe_? That was perhaps the most ridiculous, _disgusting_ thing he'd ever heard! Zoe was still at Tesla High when he arrived in Eureka; the mere _thought_ it even being a possibility in another _timeline_ made his stomach revolt. Zane was good at juggling a lot of things under massive amounts of pressure, but even the strongest of men break eventually. And this shit show of an experiment was the last straw.

He grabbed her upper arms, shaking her. "We're _partners_ , Jo! You should have _come_ to _me_! You should have been _honest_ with me! _With_ me! _If we're going to make this marriage work, then we have to be honest with each other, damn it!"_

 _"You want honest? Fine, I'll be honest!"_ She screamed, trying to shove him off, but he held firm. _"I_ hate _that I ended up in this timeline! I_ hate _that I have to play catch up and comparison with a woman who was_ so bad for you! _I_ hate _that she_ still _seems to have this_ hold _over you- a hold she has no right to because she was_ unfaithful _and she was_ blatant _about it! She wasn't going to come back, Zane!_ _She wanted you to sign the papers so she could go back to Evan! She didn't_ love _you!_ _She_ _never_ did!"

It wasn't only that he didn't want to hear it; in the very back of his mind in the deepest recesses of his heart he knew that what she said was _true_. He _knew_ that she hadn't loved him, that she had enjoyed the sexual relationship but not the actual relationship, had definitely agreed to marrying him because she'd been pregnant- and having been raised a Catholic, a child out of wedlock was looked on as a shame. In the deepest parts of both his heart and his brain, he knew that was the reason their marriage had failed; while he had fallen irrevocably in love with her, she had not fallen for him in the same way, and most likely not at all. He shut his eyes, shaking his head to clear it of the anger he felt at _her_ , at _her_ choices, _her_ decision to turn her back on her _marriage_ , her _children_ \- vows he, the self-proclaimed _atheist_ of Eureka, took seriously, because despite his religious views or lack thereof, he knew from first hand experience what it was like to grow up with an absent parent. He had wanted to spare his precious baby girl the same fate, but had only succeeded in repeating his parents' mistakes. And she... _she knew better_... she'd _also_ grown up without a parent, and yet _still_ decided to subject their beloved daughters to the same fate she had faced at their age. The only difference between her and her mother, was that her mother had passed from cancer; she was willingly running away. The selfish little-

 _"God damn it, Jo! Just shut up already!"_ Okay, so kissing the alternate version of your wife _probably_ wasn't the _best_ idea when in the middle of a scientific disaster, but he couldn't _think clearly_. He couldn't think _at all_ ; it was to much at once- too much truth, too much anger, too much heartbreak. He needed a moment or two to be able to _think_ -

She struggled for the briefest of moments, before giving in and sinking briefly into the kiss; it was the only thing he could think to do to get her to both shut up and give him a few moments of quiet to get his thoughts in order so they could focus on the problem at hand. Her fingers curled around the material of his shirt as his arm snaked around her waist and he yanked her roughly up on tiptoe. He could taste the salt of her tears, the rage, the sympathy and heartbreak and pain; she was as damaged as he was-

God, they really were a perfect pair.

When finally they broke apart, their gazes locked and everything around them stood still. He watched her, searching for something, anything that let him know she was not longer affected by the rage as she'd been earlier. A moment passed, as she reached up to caress his cheek...

And then promptly smacked him hard in retaliation.

In the intervening minutes after their kiss, a scuffle ensued. Her rage finally got the better of her, and his temper at the whole situation flared hot and bright and wild, and they went after each other- not in the way lovers do, but in the way enemies do. At one point, Zane grabbed her taser off the desk and lit into her; not enough to do serious damage or harm- it being on the lowest setting possible, but enough to stun her and give her a decent shock. Okay, so _maybe_ he'd flicked it to the second lowest setting to rattle her, but he never meant it to _actually_ hurt her, only give her a taste of her own medicine. He was _angry,_ damn it. At least he hadn't struck her- not that using her taser was any better than a fist, but at least it got her to heel long enough for him to punch in the code for her holding cell and shove her into it, ignoring her protests.

 _"What the hell_ , _Zane! Shooting me with my own pulse gun, locking me in my own cell... this isn't right! Zane! Zane, let me out! Now, damn it! Zane!"_

Finally able to answer his PDA, he turned back to glance at her as Henry's voice crackled over the speaker. _Thank God for bulletproof and shatterproof glass._ "Jo's... self-contained," He glanced back towards the cell where she was desperately trying to get out; if she wanted a way to escape, she should have asked him to design it for her. She wasn't getting out any time soon, and only would when he let her out. He ran a hand through his hair. "... have you found anything?"

 _"Zane,"_ Carter's voice came over the PDA. _"What was the original design for the device?"_

He took a deep breath, turning back to Jo, who watched him with a murderous glint in her dark eyes. "It was designed to create a calming affect in large crowds by triggering an overabundance of Oxytocin; it did the opposite."

" _It triggered the part of their brains that produces Vasopressin and caused it to create an overabundance, hence the rage,"_ Came Henry's steady voice "We've almost got it-"

"This should work, right? Once we turn this on, it'll go through the whole of GD and flip happy on, anger off, right?"

Zane chuckled softly at Carter's childlike explanation. "Yes, Carter, it should flip happy on and anger off."

Forty-five minutes later, he flipped the photograph of the president up, moving to punch in the code when he stopped. He went back to the cell stopping in front of her; she looked like hell, her shirt untucked and her jacket unbuttoned on her small frame, wisps of hair coming out of her ponytail and clinging to her skin. Perspiration cooled on her skin and the circles under her eyes were even more pronounced now; she wavered slightly on her feet and slowly raised her eyes to meet his. He crossed his arms over his chest, raising an eyebrow.

Silence thickened between them.

"I'm sorry; I wasn't myself."

He nodded. "I know," He waited a sigh escaping his lips. "you gonna apologize for pulling a gun on me?"

She swallowed, wincing in remembrance. "You _kinda_ had that coming; I am sorry for slapping you, though."

An eyebrow rose, followed by his customary smirk."And I'm sorry I tasered you, even though you _kinda_ had that coming."

Her brow furrowed. "But I-"

"Regardless of what you said or did, it was partially because of the experiment. I reacted just as badly, and I wasn't affected like you were. You just knew how to push all the wrong buttons," He moved to return to the keypad and punch the code in, but soon stopped. "We need to be honest with each other, Jojo, about _everything_. That's part of why my marriage was failing, we weren't honest- _she_ wasn't honest," He amended. "I _tried_ to be, but it's difficult when someone you love puts up a _roadblock_ every time you try." She lowered her gaze briefly, for she knew she'd put up similar and yet different roadblocks. "If this is going to _work_ , we have to be _a hundred percent honest_ with each other- _no_ secrets, _no_ lies. I did it once with her, and I _can't_ do it anymore. It's _killing_ me. So we either agree to _full_ honesty between us from now until we either find a way to send you back or whatever happens, or we end it _right now_. But all this back and forth, push and pull _bullshit isn't working."_

She met his gaze, digesting his words. "But all we have is a spark-"

He moved and punched the code into the keypad, and then stepped into the cell once the door slid open, until there was only about a foot between them. A moment passed, as he studied her, before reaching out and tucking a strand behind her ear. "Jojo, don't you know that sometimes a spark is all you need?"

And then he pulled her close, his mouth finding hers. After several minutes, he slowly pulled away, smiling softly at her. "How're you feeling?"

"Calmer." She whispered, nuzzling against him. They were silent for several minutes, before he brushed a kiss to her forehead and then stepped back.

"You want to know the truth?" He asked, slipping a hand along her back and allowing her to step out of the cell first; his lips brushed her ear, which sent delicious shivers down her spine. "Honestly babe, prison looks good on you."

She stopped, turning to him, an exasperated look on her face. "And now my day is complete."

He chuckled softly as she went to her desk and began putting things away, gathering things up and organizing, listening as he continued listing things. "... you look about a thousand times hotter with your hair _down_. And I _really don't_ like that chili you make," She raised an eyebrow and he quickly amended. "but I know it's your dad's recipe, so I shut my mouth on that one."

She sighed, pulling open one of the lower drawers, and stopped. After a moment, she removed something from it and stood, going to him. He furrowed a brow as she held out a small, grey thumb drive. "What's this?"

She took a deep breath, noticing how he didn't reach for it. "There's something on it I think you should see."


	33. Chapter 33

_"You will never understand what I went through_   
_You never were a good listener (a good listener)_   
_You will never understand what you put me through_   
_and you'll never be a good lover (a good lover)_   
_At first I believed I was the lucky one_   
_But I was just fooling myself (fooling myself)_   
_You think you can talk sense to me now_   
_Like we are gonna be okay (we're not okay)_

_Cause we're a no-go_   
_I know that I do better solo_   
_So move along, forgotten shadow_   
_Better get it right this time around_   
_Yeah we're a no-go_   
_I know that I do better solo_   
_So live along, forgotten shadow_   
_Better get it right this time around"_

_\- Better Get It Right,_

_Mama Zula_

In the intervening weeks since the rage incident, Zane hadn't said a word about the thumb drive; instead, he'd placed it in a drawer in his desk in the study and refused to watch it. He had a sneaking suspicion he knew what was on it anyway, and he simply _didn't_ have the energy to deal with it at the moment. Besides, he had three growing girls to focus his energy on as well as work, Jo and her... conundrum.

The pair seemed to come to a mutual, unspoken understanding of sorts; they were honest with each other about everything- but especially about what had gone in the relationships with their alternate counterparts. Jo told him about _exactly_ how he'd proceeded to sleep with her and still see Zoe on the side, and Zane told her about how she had taken to answering phone calls from her 'oldest brother' at the most inopportune times, until he'd answered it late one evening around Easter and discovered _exactly_ what was going on.

By the Fourth of July, things had smoothed over as much as they could, and Jo found herself slowly starting to fit into this Eureka- better than she had in Alternate Eureka. It was a little frightening how well she seemed to fall into step in this timeline, especially when she'd struggled so in the Alternate timeline. She found that hikes in the trails around Eureka were a common family activity during the summer, as were backyard movies nights and Vincent's block parties. There was just one thing she hadn't been expecting them to do, but honestly, she should have expected it.

This was _Zane_ , after all, and according to his mother- in apparently all _three_ timelines- he had absolutely _loved_ that _one_ summer they spent in the woods away from the city. She really should have expected that no matter the timeline, some things never changed- and that included the fact that the boy from Boston that she loved actually greatly enjoyed camping.

"Should we _really_ be spending one of the busiest weekends in America out in the woods?"

"You forget babe, it's our cabin, which means it's private property-"

"Which means no trespassing." She finished, shaking her head "Forgive me if it's been a while since I've been camping."

He grinned, setting her duffel in the trunk as the girls climbed into the car, all clearly used to this. "You're mixing up your wilderness experiences, babe. We're not camping-camping this weekend," He shut the trunk and reached out, sliding his arms around her hips and pulling her into him, his hands sliding down to slip into the back pockets of her denim shorts as she let out a squeal of surprise. "We're cabin camping, there's a _difference_."

She wrinkled her nose. "I grew up _camping_ , you know, with an actual _tent_ ," He chuckled, squeezing gently and removing a hand from one of her back pockets to brush an escaped strand of hair off her cheek. "not log cabins. Price of being a military brat with three brothers."

A smirk tugged at his lips. "I think you'll probably find this experience to be more fun than when you were with your brothers." He kissed her quickly and then pulled away, going to the driver's side. She followed, snatching the keys from his hand. "Hey!"

" _Don't_ touch my car, Donovan." She tugged the door open and he rolled his eyes, but made his way to the passenger side without complaint. "You know, I'm kinda surprised you still _have_ that cabin." She muttered, clearly it triggered something from one of her previous timelines to pop into her head. She put the Subaru in reverse and backed out of the driveway, glancing behind her as she did so.

"Why would I not have that cabin? I love that cabin; that summer was the best summer I'd ever had." Zane replied, turning off his PDA; he'd explained that they were allowed their phones when they went to the cabin, but they were only to be used to take photos and videos if wanted. The thirty-five mil camera Zane had stayed at the cabin during the summer and got constant use because not only did Zane use it, but Cate also used it during their visits to the cabin. The surly teenager had inherited her father's hidden passion for photography, and Zane had made sure to nurture and develop it in his daughter from the time she was old enough to _hold_ a camera. Jo was starting to discover that there was _so much_ about this Zane she didn't know, an she wanted to learn as much as she could.

"We stay there every summer, Mama." Ela spoke up from her place behind Jo.

"Really?" She glanced at Zane, who smiled at her. "And what do you do at this cabin? Go fishing and hiking and play board games like Scrabble?"

"Scrabble? Please, Scrabble's for amateurs," Zane replied, fiddling with the radio. "Though I play a wicked game of Yahtzee."

"Fishing's mean; it hurts the fish and takes them away from their families." Ela spoke up, as her sisters each rolled their eyes.

" _Still_ , Ela?" Cate asked, never tearing her gaze from the window as Anna turned another page in her book.

"It's true!" The youngest girl cried, turning to glare at her oldest sister. Jo glanced at Zane, who chuckled softly and leaned close.

"I think our Ela's going to be an animal conservationist when she grows up; she loves any and all animals." She nodded in understanding. "She's been _begging_ us to get a dog for the last two years; we both told her no, but she thinks if she asks long enough, she'll wear us down and win us over. Fargo offered to _build_ her a dog, but El wants a real one."

"It might be good for her, you know. Teach her responsibility and routine and patience. And if her sisters helped care for it, it could be a good bonding experience for them." Zane opened his mouth to respond, but his youngest let out a squeal.

"I can _really_ get a dog, Daddy?" A quick glare crossed Zane's features as he turned to Jo, who grinned sheepishly.

"We didn't say that-"

"But Mama _said-_ "

Zane rolled his eyes turning to gaze at his youngest daughter as Cate opened her mouth to contradict with her usual snark. "Mama said _'might'_ Eleanora, that _does not_ mean yes-"

"Does it mean maybe?" She asked, the big blue eyes she'd inherited from him beginning to fill with tears as she pouted; Zane narrowed his gaze. He _knew_ that pout- the eyes may have been his, but the pout was _all_ Jo- and it was most commonly seen on Cate when she _really_ wanted something and thought she could get him to cave. As the oldest, Cate had a special place in her father's heart, and used it to her advantage, or tried to. But Zane was immune to his oldest daughter's charms; mainly because a lot of her _charm_ came from _him_ , with a healthy dose of her mother sprinkled in. Anna was levelheaded enough like her mother to not use the pout- in fact any sort of frown rarely crossed his middle child's face- but Ela was _just_ starting to discover the power her mother's pout could have on her father. He often liked to say that the only one who _succeeded_ in getting him to do as _she_ wanted with that pout was Jo- it had always been, and always would be, only Jo. Though occasionally, he gave the girls an inch, as long as he kept the mile out of their reach.

It wasn't uncommon for Zane to silently curse his genetics; he had known that both he and Jo were very attractive and that any children they had would be truly beautiful- and they were. He thought back to the day Cate had been born and how the sight of her in her mother's arms had stopped his heart for the briefest of moments, as he'd gazed at his newlyborn baby girl.

_"She's so wrinkly!" The glare Jo had sent Luca's way had been deadly enough to kill, and his brother-in-law had quickly covered by adding, "But cute, Josie! She'll be absolutely adorable when she gets older!"_

_"You're lucky we're related and that I love you as much as I do." Jo had replied, turning back to the baby in her arms._

And Luca had been right; Cate had grown into an adorable little girl who had wrapped her parents around her small, pudgy fingers. Zane couldn't help wondering if perhaps she had stayed not because of _him_ , but because of _Cate_ \- she adored Caterina and Annaleigh, and had seemed content with their two girls, that when she'd gotten pregnant with Eleanora-

She hadn't _exactly_ been thrilled to discover she was pregnant again; in fact, she'd seemed downright _disgusted_ about the discovery of her pregnancy and had actually suggested off-handedly if it'd simply be better to terminate the pregnancy. The suggestion had made his blood boil. Zane was wise enough to keep his opinions about a woman's health to himself- his belief was that as long as it wasn't life threatening, a woman could do what she wanted with her body, and that included abortion. However, the insinuation of terminating a pregnancy simply because she didn't want it- especially when they were financially secure _and_ able to care for another child- upset him greatly and he'd made sure she knew it. It had been the only time he'd ever _actually_ reached to grab her, and to this day he _still_ regretted it.

 _"It's not your body, Zane! It's my body! My body, my choice! And I_ don't _want it!"_

 _"It maybe your body and your choice, but that's_ my _child, Jo! Not_ just _yours! Mine! Shouldn't I get a say? Especially since we can take care of it! We're stable enough to raise three children! We don't have to worry! We'll love it like we love Cate and Anna-"_

_"No, Zane! I don't want it! I don't want to go through it again!"_

_"That's what you're worried about? Jo you're strong, you don't have to worry-"_

_"No, Zane! I don't want to do it again! I just don't! I_ never _wanted another child! I was content with the girls!"_

 _"And I've_ always _wanted more, you know that! You've known that from the moment we got together! I want a big family, I've always wanted a big family! I've always wanted a houseful of kids! You know that!"_

_"Well I don't, Zane. I never wanted a house full of kids."_

Somehow, they'd managed to reach an agreement; having the baby would be the fresh start they needed- they could put the issues they'd struggled with behind them and start new and just focus on raising their girls and the new baby and get back on track- in essence, the pregnancy was a way to fix their marriage. The realization had made Zane realize that he'd done what other parents had no problem doing- using his child to try to keep the woman he loved. _But my Ela deserved so much more than that; she deserved to have her mother love her simply because she was ours, not because she had to._

" _Please_ Daddy, say we can have a dog! I'll take care of it, and you and Mama won't have to. I _promise_! _Please?"_ He glanced back at the girl in question and his heart clenched. _She deserves the world and so much more; they all do. How could I possibly have gone so long neglecting my girls like I have? What kind of father am I, what kind of man, to neglect my children simply for being born? God, I really am turning into my father- something I promised myself I'd never do._ He smiled softly at the girl, stopping her pleas.

"We'll think about it, Ela, okay?"

 _"Really?"_ He nodded; Jo snorted softly from the driver's side.

"What's so funny?" She shook her head.

"Nothing." She tried hard to cover up the soft snort, turning her attention back to the road. "Softie."

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm not a-"

"Oh relax," She flicked on the blinker and turned onto the dirt road off the main. She'd only been to the cabin once or twice in her original timeline and was surprised that she still knew the way. "It's quite cute."

"All right, fine. I'm a softie," He replied, rolling his eyes heavenward before asking rhetorically, "What do you want from me?"

She shook her head with a sigh as they pulled up beside the cabin and she put the car in park. The girls quickly clambered out, eager to stretch their legs and explore as Jo took her hands off the wheel and turned to him. "I just... don't know yet."

"Well I suggest you _figure it out_ , Jojo." A moment passed, before he unbuckled his seat belt and opened the passenger door. "Come on, slowpoke, we're waiting on you."


	34. Chapter 34

"Oh, wow."

She didn't know _what_ she was expecting, but the cabin that met her wasn't it; instead, it was something out of a Thomas Kinkaide painting- more cottage than cabin.

Two stories with a front porch and a stepping stone path leading to the steps; the sloped roof that covered the porch just barely hid the stone chimney Jo could see peaking through the trees; the windows were trimmed in pale green and she could see a woodpile around the side of the house. It was rustic yet charming, and she felt a sense of calm. In her timeline, she and Zane had been working on renovating the cabin and in the Alternate timeline, the cabin had fallen into disrepair; Zane had been planning on fixing it up after returning from Astreaus. Clearly, in this timeline anyway, he'd kept his word and done just that.

"Mama, what are you looking at?" She jumped, feeling Ela take her hand and turned.

"Just... wasn't expecting..." She stopped, shaking her head. "Nothing."

The girl nodded, before tugging on her hand. "Come on, Mama!" Glancing at Zane, who nodded for her to go ahead, she allowed Ela to tug her down the stone path and up the steps onto the porch. "Daddy gave me the key." She said proudly, and quickly unlocked the door. Following the girl inside, she stopped at the sight before her.

The layout of the cabin was open, similar to their house; a spacious living room connected with the kitchen and down a hallway past the stairs she could see a couple doors, possibly for a bedroom and the bathroom. There was a stone fireplace against the far wall and directly across from the fireplace sat the sofa; a huge bay window stood directly across from her and she could see the bookshelves built into the walls. She wandered into the living room, noticing the television and the small pile of DVDs, the stack of board games and the copious amount of books.

"The master is down the hall, and the bathroom is across from and down the hall on the other side," She turned as Zane followed the girls in, unpacking the car. "The television is connected for movies only; on the nights when we don't want to spend time outside or if the weather's bad, we can put a Disney movie on or a comedy and relax." She nodded, brow furrowing in confusion as she realized something.

"Where are the girls-"

"Upstairs," He set the bag of groceries they'd gotten before leaving down on the kitchen table and went to her. "Come on, I'll give you the tour." She glanced at the girls, who were busy competing to see who could get the rest of the things from the car first- even Cate was joining in. After a moment, Jo followed, surprised to find the second floor just as open as the rest of the cabin.

On one side of the room, were two sets of bunk beds built into the wall, separated by a pair of stairs that led to the top bunks; the top ones had simple wooden railings painted the same pale green as the window trim and she could see the storage drawers in the base of the beds. Across from the beds was a small open area with a curtain tied back that was clearly the closet, and there was a window seat beneath the window. It was open and inviting and warm like their house was, and she felt as in love with the summer cabin as she was with their house. "Loft beds?"

"We figured it was easier than bringing in separate twin beds."

"Why four though?" She asked, noting the number; Zane shrugged."In case one of the girls' friends wanted to come or..." He made his way to her.

"Or?" She pushed gently, as he slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him. She slipped onto her toes out of habit, being a good head shorter than Zane; her arms came up and wrapped around his neck as he met her gaze. He took a deep breath, licking his lips.

"Or in case we had another baby." Her brow furrowed briefly in confusion, before her dark eyes widened in realization.

"Oh!"

He scoffed gently, ducking his head briefly. "I always dreamed of a house full of kids someday." He confessed, glancing at her and she blushed. So she wasn't the _only_ one who had dreamed of having lots of children. Something in her stomach started to twist in excitement at the thought and her blush deepened. She met his gaze, saw the world reflected in his blue eyes, and after a moment, rose further on her toes as he leaned down to meet her-

"Mama! Daddy!" The pair sprang apart at the sound of footsteps on the stairs, and they both turned to see the girls coming into the room, each carrying their duffel bags. Anna and Ela glanced at them, giggling to each other as they passed and went to their beds as Cate rolled her eyes and joined her sisters.

"I'm gonna- I'll be downstairs." And without a word, the Security Director turned and bolted from the room as the girls giggled about the look on her face.

"Thanks, pups. Who's hungry? We picked up sandwiches from Cafe Diem before we left-" He turned and headed for the stairs when Ela's voice stopped him.

"Daddy?" He stopped, turning back to find all three sitting on their beds in various stages of unpacking; he waited. Ela glanced at her sisters, lip between her teeth before she finally spoke. "Never mind."

"You sure?" The girl nodded. "Okay. You girls finish unpacking and then come downstairs; lunch'll be ready soon." They nodded as Zane headed downstairs. Once he was gone, Anna turned to her little sister as Cate finished putting her clothes in one of the drawers beneath her bed.

"Why didn't you ask? I thought you wanted to know." The younger girl shrugged.

"She doesn't love Daddy." Cate stated matter-of-factly. "She doesn't love any of us. She wants to go back to _her_ timeline and _her_ Zane. She doesn't want to be with Daddy." She stopped. "Mama didn't even want to be with Daddy- she didn't want Daddy, she didn't want any of us."

"That's not true, Catie!" Ela cried, leaning over the railing of her bed. Her sister met her gaze as Anna glanced between them.

"Yes it is, Elie. You don't remember when Mama started seeing Uncle Evan, but _I_ do. Mama never wanted Daddy and _she_ doesn't want Daddy, either. She doesn't love him, she loves _her_ Zane from the _other_ timeline. She doesn't love Daddy, and she doesn't love us, she never would. She's only here because she ended up in this timeline and she can't get back to hers. She doesn't belong here, and she doesn't want to be here. She's not Mama, and she doesn't want to try to be."

"But she's _trying_ , Catie." Anna whispered softly as she got off her bed and climbed down the stairs. "She loves Daddy."

"If she were _really_ trying she wouldn't be so scared to be around us, Annie." The older girl replied, and her sisters shared a glance; Cate did have a point. "And she doesn't love Daddy, but Daddy's falling in love with her." A moment passed before Cate pulled her long black hair back in a ponytail. "This is _our_ timeline, not hers."

Anna furrowed a brow- looking a hell of a lot like a preteen version of Jo- as Ela got up and came down the stairs, slipping past her sister. "What's that supposed to mean, Catie?"

The teenager wavered briefly, unsure of what to say; she hadn't exactly thought the words through. They'd merely popped into her head and seemed like a good thing to say at the moment. She hadn't been expecting her sisters to question it. "It means..." She bit her lip, a look reminiscent of one that often crossed Zane's face when he was trying to figure out a difficult physics problem crossing her small features. "It means that... that she doesn't belong, and that all she's going to do break Daddy's heart when she leaves."

Then, without a word the older girl left, hurrying down the stairs; a moment passed, before her sisters followed.


	35. Chapter 35

Jo discovered that she quite enjoyed time at the cabin; it was nice to get away from the stresses of Eureka and work. It was also a plus when they showed her that they were within walking distance of Timothy Lake, and not that long a drive from Salem and Portland, respectfully. They spent afternoons hiking or staying in playing board games, but by the middle of the week, a trip to the lake was warranted.

So that was how Jo found herself standing on the shores of Timothy Lake watching Zane and his daughters in the water; the twisting in her stomach returned and she wrapped her arms around herself. Something about the sight of Zane playing in the water with his children tugged deep in the depths of her womb, something she couldn't identify; she only knew that she longed for it- and part of her wanted Zane to be the one to fulfill it for her. But not her Zane.

 _This_ Zane.

The thought startled her; and she couldn't catch her breath. It wasn't that she _hadn't_ thought of staying here in this timeline with this Zane and his girls, she had, a _lot_ in the last couple of months, but her Zane was always at the forefront of her mind. They hadn't left things in a good place, they'd separated with silent promises dying on their lips and wounded hearts; she'd run away with her tail between her legs and shredded pride, wanting nothing more than to leave Eureka and never return. And then an anomaly of some sort sent her right back to the beginning.

_Well, not the beginning- not your beginning, an entirely different beginning. With an entirely different Zane who has an entirely different relationship with an alternate version of you. But there was no reason for you to be sent here in the first place; the Bridge Device is broken, but you passed through an anomaly of some sort-_

"Hey! You with me, Jojo?" She snapped out of her thoughts, looking up at Zane made his way over to her; the girls had managed to gang up on him and dunk him under the water and he was dripping, normally messy black hair plastered to his head and falling into his blue eyes. She let her gaze briefly rove over him, drinking in the dark navy blue swim trunks his wore as she quickly did the math in her head.

As the last of the Lupo children, she'd been born in nineteen-eighty three; she had been eighteen when the towers fell and served her first deployment; and Zane in the _original_ timeline had been younger than her by two years, having been born in eighty-five. It seemed to be the same for the Alternate timeline as well, but- but when it came to _here_... he seemed to be _older_ than her and from what she could gather of her counterpart...

Her head snapped up at the soft whistle and Zane grinned. "You okay, Jojo? You were spacing out there on me." She blushed and he chuckled, letting his own gaze rove over her quickly. The cherry red halter bikini she wore accented her curves and skin, and he longed to run his hands over her curves, to take her then and there. He quickly cast the thought aside and turned his attention to getting the majority of the water out of his hair. After several minutes, he nodded towards the lake. "What do you say?"

A moment passed, before she nodded and took the hand he offered. With a wicked grin, he tugged her close, sliding an arm around her waist. "Zane-" But she stopped at the flash of ink on his left shoulder. A tattoo? How had she not noticed before? He grinned.

"See something you like, Jojo?" But before she could speak, he swiped his arm under her knees and scooped her up; she let out a squeak and clutched at his neck and he carried her into the water and then, once he was about waist level in the lake, not far from where the girls were chasing each other, he dropped her.

 _"Zane!"_ She dropped like a stone in the Hudson with a shriek and came up sputtering like an angry cat. His laughter from their close proximity reverberated against her chest and she glared at him. After taking a moment to catch his breath, Zane reached out brushing a strand off her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Jojo, but seeing you standing on the shoreline, I had to. I couldn't resist." He pulled her close, sliding an arm around her waist. The glare never left her features and after a moment, she pounced.

Hours later, after they'd returned to the cabin and each had showered and washed the lake water off their skin and out of their hair, Jo came into the kitchen in a pair of sweats and a tank top, her hair pulled back in a French braid. Zane was at the stove finishing fixing dinner and the girls were sitting on the living room floor playing a game of Uno; a fire crackled in the fireplace to warm the cabin and ward off the summer chill. Jo quickly and quietly set the table before going to him and sliding her arms around his waist from behind, reaching up to caress his chest. He stiffened only briefly, not expecting her.

"Something smells good. What is it?" She pulled away, leaning against the counter to watch him cook. Jo had always found something incredibly enduring and sexy about a man who knew his way around a kitchen, and she was secretly thrilled that she'd landed in a timeline where Zane so clearly enjoyed cooking. It had always been one of her silent passions, and she was happy she could share it. He chuckled.

"Teriyaki ginger salmon with noodles." He spooned a bit of the sauce into the spoon and held it out to her; she glanced at him before accepting it. "There's a couple pieces of straight teriyaki salmon also-" He started as she helped him taking the dishes to the table.

"Why straight teriyaki?"

"Catie can't have ginger," She opened her mouth to ask, only for him to cut her off. "Our Catie has a ginger allergy." He answered, making sure to keep the pieces meant for his oldest daughter separate. "Don't know where she got it or how, all I know is one Christmas she was able to eat gingerbread and the next year she broke out in hives. We've never been able to find a reason why, and trust me, Allison's tried, but no luck. It's one of those weird allergies that pops up once in a millennia. Girls, dinner's ready! Come eat!"

As they settled around the table, Jo watched Cate glance at the salmon before Zane spoke up. "Yours is just straight teriyaki, pup." She visibly relaxed. Silence settled around the table, only broken up by the sound of cutlery, and after a moment Jo turned to Zane.

"I gotta ask, what's so special about this cabin? I mean, I know you vacationed here when you were ten, but other than that?"

Zane thought a moment before shrugging. "It's a place that's removed from all the craziness, away from the city, where you can go out and sit by the lake and look at the stars and," He shrugged. "Where we can unplug from technology and recoup and relax and enjoy our time together as a family." He glanced at each of the girls before meeting Jo's gaze.

After dinner finished, the leftovers were put away and the dishes done, Jo wandered into the living room. She looked through the board games before pulling one out and turning to Zane, grinning. " _You_ may play a wicked game of Yahtzee, but how are you at Battleship?"


	36. Chapter 36

_"You're the light, you're the night_   
_You're the color of my blood_   
_You're the cure, you're the pain_   
_You're the only thing I wanna touch_   
_Never knew that it could mean so much, so much_

_You're the fear, I don't care_   
_'Cause I've never been so high_   
_Follow me through the dark_   
_Let me take you past our satellites_   
_You can see the world you brought to life, to life_

_So love me like you do, lo-lo-love me like you do_   
_Love me like you do, lo-lo-love me like you do_   
_Touch me like you do, to-to-touch me like you do_   
_What are you waiting for?"_

_\- Love Me Like You Do,_

_Ellie Goulding_

The evening air was warm, and he sighed, settling back against the porch swing; it was nights like this he missed the most, in the early days of their marriage, before the baby was born and before things went so wrong- when their life together had just started. A small part of him wished for those days back, but at the same time, he didn't. Was he content in his life so far? As content as a man raising three girls essentially on his own could be. Did he miss his wife? That question was trickier. He loved her, he really did, he just couldn't reconcile the woman she was with the woman he'd met all those years ago; it was like she was two entirely different people, as though the girls' arrival stole away the woman he'd fallen in love with- he missed the woman she'd been before, he guessed.

He shook his head. No, that wasn't fair to his girls. He loved his girls with all he was; from the _moment_ he'd learned he was going to be a father, he'd loved them. They were his heart and soul, and he would do any and all he could to make their lives as easy as possible, especially right now. He couldn't imagine his life without them, and the few times he did-

He shuddered; it wasn't worth imagining.

And then there was Jo.

He'd found his thoughts drifting to her more and more lately- and not just because they lived together and were trying to keep up appearances. Every moment he spent trying to figure out what brought her here sent his thoughts wandering to her alternate timelines. How different was he in her other alternate timeline? What about the original? Had they gotten along well? Or had they fought constantly? Exactly _how different_ could two timelines be?

And then that brought the questions back to Jo herself. She had said that her relationship with him in both of her alternate timelines were different, that he was different- but exactly how? Could it have been something entirely different that affected the timelines, that affected him? What if the changing variable in the each equation was... _her_?

He sighed, sipping his drink before setting it on the small end table by the swing and sitting back with a sigh as his eyes closed briefly. He rarely drank; he hated the way alcohol messed with his brain. An occasional drink was okay, but he never understood how alcoholics could drink themselves into oblivion- but maybe that was because he valued his brain cells too much to ever find out.

Jo.

God, that woman was a puzzle of the highest grade; she drove him insane and simultaneously calmed him down. He could get lost in her eyes, in her smile. And he wouldn't deny that there were nights when they lay in bed that he considered what it would be like to kiss her- really, truly, deeply kiss her- the way he'd kissed her during the rage incident. He often found himself wondering how similar her body was to his wife's, what it would be like to make love with her-

He quickly pushed those thoughts out of his head; no, he couldn't think like that, especially if they managed to figure out how she ended up here and how to get her back to her timeline-

Her timeline; he wasn't going to pretend that the thought of her returning to the Alternate timeline didn't make him half sick, that he didn't ignore the fact that her leaving would not only affect the girls but affect him. Over the last couple of months, he'd discovered that she took things his wife had since cast aside seriously- her religion, for one. She was born and raised Catholic; her mother had made sure she took her religion seriously, and that included marriage.

 _"You don't mess around with your marriage vows; marriage is sacred, it's a pact that a couple makes before their friends and family and-_ _I know you don't believe in Him-_ _God to be faithful. If she and I are_ really _the same, then how could she ever even consider straying? It doesn't make any sense to me. If I were her, regardless of whether it was Evan or a complete stranger, I'd break it off the moment I went running to him; because you're my husband. My loyalty is to you and our marriage, no one else. She should have known that."_

The fact that she held the same views in regards to marriage as he did- he wasn't going to pretend that it didn't make his head spin; as a child, he had looked at marriage as a trap, had seen how unhappy his mother had been because his father had been unfaithful- and blatant about it, even bringing his latest mistress home masquerading as a 'friend'- until he'd ultimately walked away, leaving Tessa Donovan with a young son to raise, and later Claudia when he dropped her off on their doorstep, by herself- and she had tried; done her best to do exactly that. Zane and Claudia hadn't grown up without love in the house, Tessa had done the best she could with what she had, loving both of them with all her heart, despite the shenanigans and trouble they got into growing up. It had nearly killed her, and by the time Zane had come to Eureka, Claudia's mental health issues had reared their ugly head and Tessa had had no choice but to commit her, which had near broken her heart.

If anything, Zane wished he could go back and fix his mistakes, make it easier on his mother, help her more- it was why he had taken to sending her tickets to an occasional Broadway show in New York, the Boston Ballet, booked days at the spa or small bed and breakfasts for her so she could get away and spend some time to herself; anything he could think of to apologize and say thank you for everything she'd done raising him. It was why he and the girls often went out to Boston to see her over Thanksgiving or Christmas, not only did it thrill the girls to see their grandmother and her to see her granddaughters, but it gave them a chance to bond and catch up; he wasn't to proud to admit that he'd been slacking on his weekly calls with her.

It didn't surprise him that Jo seemed to have an intimate knowledge of his relationship with his mother; she had said that in both the original and alternate timeline, he was quite close with Tessa. _"And honestly, she terrified me when I first met her. I'd never met someone who could actually make you heel; all she had to do was look at you and you'd stop whatever chaos you were causing. It was terrifying and yet I couldn't look away."_ He'd chuckled at that; his mother was known for her ability to stop chaos with a single look- it was why he and Claudia rarely fought when they were growing up, neither wanted to be on the receiving end of Tessa's death glare.

He knew that his wife had accepted his mother's advice in regards to a lot of things- but she'd done it more with a grain of salt than anything else. As the years had gone by, she had seemed to become even more uncomfortable around Tessa, something that shouldn't have happened, but now Zane knew why. Jo, on the other hand, had told him that she adored Tessa and that Tessa had felt the same way- and that it had stemmed from the fact that she'd lost her mother when she was five to cancer, and that when Tessa had found out, she'd told her that she was always welcome, something that had touched Jo deeply.

And it wasn't only Tessa; he'd discovered that a lot of their ideals matched up- like pieces of a puzzle coming together to create the border of the picture. Marriage and family were important, work was important but you needed to make time for family, health and work and family and religion and marriage could all be balanced with the proper routine-

_And the only kind of sparks we need are the good kind._

He sighed, their famous sparks. From the moment they'd met, there'd been sparks, and as their relationship had grown the sparks had grown, but eventually those same sparks had started to fade, until he'd kiss her or touch her and feel nothing; no rush, not thrill, not spark. At some point in the intervening years of their marriage, the sparks had cooled and all but vanished; they were strangers, not only at work but at home, the space between them not just being in their bed. She had seemed to revolt at his touch, really only accepting it out of habit. But what hurt the most was that she'd started rejecting the girls and it was starting to do damage to all three of them, Cate especially, who had been exceedingly close to her mother.

But Jo-

Jo had been doing everything she could to make this easier on the girls; spending time with each of them- even if Cate resisted; she cared about them and how their days had gone and what they were feeling; if they were upset, she talked to them and _listened_ , she didn't simply brush them aside. Jo knew the importance of having a mother around, mainly because she hadn't had a mother, and she didn't want that for the girls; she wanted them to come her if they needed her, for however long she was here. She cared for the girls- possibly even loved them.

And his relationship with Jo- he wasn't too proud to admit that there was definitely something there between them. Their touch was electric, being in the same proximity as her sent his heart rate skyrocketing, he wanted to do all he could to see her smile, to have her turn those big chocolate eyes on him, flash that dazzling smile his way. Kissing her not only brought sparks but it made him feel complete; something he hadn't felt in years. She made him happy, hell, she made him actually consider wanting more children-

With _her_.

So lost in his own thoughts, Zane didn't hear the front door open, or the soft footsteps make their way onto the porch until the person sat beside him on the swing and he bolted up. A soft snigger met his ears and he turned to find the object of his questions sitting beside him, dressed in a pair of denim jeans and a slightly over-sized white sweater, her hair pulled back in a loose French braid down her back. They'd gone hiking that day; Anna had slipped and sprained her ankle, and when they'd come back to the cabin, Jo had immediately taken care of her, icing her ankle and checking to make sure it wasn't broken. It wasn't, she'd merely twisted it and there was a nice bruise forming. After dinner, the girls had gone to bed and Zane had poured a drink and slipped outside to enjoy the quiet.

"Don't worry, I won't tell," She grinned as she sipped her own drink and he sighed, returning his head to the back of the swing. "Promise."

He chuckled, meeting her gaze. "Thank you, for taking care of Annaleigh today."

"No problem." They sat in silence for several minutes, each lost in their own thoughts before he turned to her.

"So, what's the verdict?"

She sighed. "It's wonderful here, Zane." She thought a moment before, "Can I ask what's so important about this cabin anyway?"

A moment passed before he met her gaze, licking his lips nervously. "Cate was conceived here." A look of realization crossed her face. "We- her and I," He amended. "We spent as much time here as we could; this became our place. we spent the last week of January and the first week of February here; we were young and we let the night get away from us and-"

"Six weeks later the test comes out positive." She finished and he nodded. "Oh. Then I'm trespassing." She anxiously rubbed her palms against her thighs before standing; he grabbed her wrist and she turned back.

"You're not trespassing, Jo. We brought you here because we wanted you to be here with us; it was only right that you come too." He tugged gently and she returned to sitting beside him. "Cate may have been conceived here but I was the one who wanted to fix it up. I wanted this to be a retreat from the chaos of the town we live in. I wanted my baby girl to have a place where she could thrive and be content with nature, and look at the world and realize there's _so much more_ to life than tachyons and particle accelerators." He didn't catch the surprised look that crossed her face at his wording. "And... as my family grew, the cabin grew with it, just like the house," Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Jo, the house on Coriolis was a two-bedroom; after Cate was born we turned the second bedroom into her nursery and then her room, and then when we got pregnant with Anna, we added another room, and when Ela came along we added her room. That house has grown as our family's grown, just like the cabin."

"I still don't understand why you didn't just buy a house on Los Altos- Section Five guys practically run that block and _you_ run Section Five; the houses are plenty big for-"

"Because Coriolis is our home, Jo. I went from that just being _my_ house to it being _our_ house to being Cate's house and Anna's and Ela's- Coriolis isn't just a _street_ , and Forty-Twenty isn't _just_ a house. It's our _home_." He took her hand, stroking her knuckles. "For every _bad_ thing that's happened within those walls, a million _good_ things have happened to cancel out the bad; for every fight that took place there was a birthday party, for every nightmare there were good dreams," He sighed. "For every bout of tears there's been a bout of laughter," His voice grew soft and he became lost in his thoughts as he continued to stroke her knuckles. "For every night we spent apart in the first years of our marriage, there was a night we made love; that house has seen _so much_ in the last twenty years or so, and I can't imagine living anywhere else. I _won't_ live anywhere else, and I _won't_ raise my girls in any other house. That's _our_ house."

She sighed; she understood, she really did, and it seemed that Zane felt the same way she did about having a place to settle down and call his own. In her previous two timelines, where he'd balked at a community, even openly resisting, here he embraced it. He embraced Eureka and all she had to offer him and his children, how she stood by him even though she had no idea how bad his marriage had gotten or the turn it had taken, and helped to raise the girls-

_"What makes you think I give a crap about finding a community?"_

_"Because we all do and you're smart enough to know that."_

While her Zane in her original timeline had slowly become a part of Eureka's community, and her Zane in the Alternate timeline had balked and remained on the fringes of Eureka's community, this Zane had clearly found his place within it and thrived. He had grown with the community, not against it, and carved out a home in the tight-knit science town.

Silence settled between them before she reached up. He smiled softly at her and she tapped gently on his bicep. "When did you get the tattoos? It's a partial sleeve, right?" With a sigh, he shrugged his arm out of the button-down over-shirt he wore. In the dim light of the porch, she leaned close, fingers and gaze sliding gently over the inked artwork. It took a few minutes for her to identify what they were and what they meant, but after a moment, they all clicked into place.

A compass with the words, _'Not all who wander are lost, most look at it as an adventure'_ in what she recognized was his mother's handwriting within a ribbon, a pair of playing cards- King and Queen of Hearts- tucked into a teacup for his grandmother, who, Jo knew, had loved _Alice in Wonderland_ , what appeared to be a watercolor version of Captain America's shield- she remembered he'd said that Claudia's favorite Marvel character was Cap, and... her fingers trailed over three constellations wrapped within a bouquet of marigolds, delphiniums and daisies... _Libra, Cancer,_ _Aries_...

"Cate... Anna... and Ela..." She met his gaze. "It's their birth flowers and their zodiac signs." A small smile met her in response and she returned to the tattoo. Her gaze shifted down to the bend in his elbow; there was one more and it startled her. A black witch's hat atop a pair of ruby slippers, the words, _'There's no place like home'_ in script beneath them; she blushed as she realized it was her favorite film.

It was a beautiful mixture of masculine and feminine, all meant to represent the most important women in his life- the women who had shaped him into adulthood and the women who continued to shape him to this day. A lovely tribute to the ones who'd passed and the ones still living. "It's beautiful, Zane."

As he pulled the over-shirt back on, she found herself missing the sight of the ink on his arm. They settled into a comfortable silence before he met her gaze. "I was thinking about the differences in our timelines."

"Okay? And?" She propped her head on her fist as against the back of the swing, and continued to nurse her drink as he set his on the end table and leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees as his hands rubbed together nervously. He sighed.

"We're in the original timeline- to me and the girls." He amended quickly at her confused look. "For us, _this_ timeline is our original timeline; if we were to go to another timeline, that would be our alternate, but because we haven't, this timeline is the only timeline we know." He met her gaze and she nodded in understanding, hand curled around her glass which she held protectively against her chest.

"Okay? Anything else?"

"In our original timelines, we're the originals, like you. The choices we made are our _original_ choices and it's those choices that sent our timelines on different paths. In your Alternate timeline, something happened and we were never together, which meant we became adversaries instead; in your original timeline, the first date went wrong but we tried again and were in a two year relationship about to get engaged-"

"And in this one, we became lovers before we got married and had the girls, I get it, Zane. Where are you going with this?"

"Who's to say that if the first timeline shift hadn't happened- if you hadn't gone back to nineteen-forty-seven- that we wouldn't have ended up where we are now?"

Her brow furrowed. "You mean if I'd said yes instead of hesitating and the shift hadn't happened; we would have gotten married and-"

"Probably had the girls and then ended up here anyway. Exactly."

"But Zane, I wouldn't have cheated on you like she did; I could never. I'm loyal. I _love you,_ I could never cheat on you." She stopped, realizing what she'd said and blushed, meeting his gaze. He studied her a moment before gently taking the glass from her and setting it aside, reaching up and cupping her cheek. A moment passed, before he leaned close, searching her gaze for a hint of hesitation and finding none.

The kiss was soft and tender as kisses go. "If I kiss you now, I'm doing so out of my choice and your consent. One kiss doesn't necessarily send the timeline spinning off in a different direction." He whispered, against her lips, nudging his nose gently against hers. "But if I were to _make love_ to you-"

"Yes?" She met his gaze, fully caught up in the heat from their sparks and the thrill his words sent through her. "What would happen?"

He kissed her again, longer this time; her hands moved to curl into the fabric of his shirt as he slid an arm around her waist, tugging her towards him. "We'd be giving into our base desires, and I would be taking advantage of you and the situation."

She nuzzled against him, eyes closed. "Not if gave my consent." Their eyes met, and in the dimness of the porch light, in the scent of rain from the storm rolling in, the world stood still and yet collided at the same time. Neither said a word, she merely nodded, allowing him to tug her to her feet as he stood. As the storm broke overhead, he tugged her gently into the house, through the living room and back to the master bedroom. As soon as the door closed and locked behind them, his mouth met hers in deep, searching kiss that could start a wildfire.


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: For those of you who have read her writing for years, you know there has to be at least one love scene in every story.

_"Fading in, fading out_   
_On the edge of paradise_   
_Every inch of your skin is a holy grail I've gotta find_   
_Only you can set my heart on fire, on fire_   
_Yeah, I'll let you set the pace_   
_'Cause I'm not thinking straight_   
_My head spinning around, I can't see clear no more_   
_What are you waiting for?_

_I'll let you set the pace_   
_'Cause I'm not thinking straight_   
_My head spinning around, I can't see clear no more_   
_What are you waiting for?_

_Love me like you do, lo-lo-love me like you do (like you do)_   
_Love me like you do, lo-lo-love me like you do (yeah)_   
_Touch me like you do, to-to-touch me like you do_   
_What are you waiting for?"_

_\- Love Me Like You Do,_

_Ellie Goulding_

No matter the timeline, no matter the year, that spark was always there; it burned hot and bright and strong and always would, because they were destined to be.

Despite their desire, they took it slow, clothing falling to the floor in bits and pieces as hands explored skin and mouths collided, drinking as much as they possibly could from each other. When his hands moved to work the button free on her blue jeans, he stopped, meeting her gaze. She nodded, reaching up to capture his lips with hers, a silent sign that she was giving her consent. As he'd slid the clothing from her body, he couldn't stop the smile from tugging at his lips as he recognized. The royal purple set was perhaps his favorite of all he'd gotten her, and he couldn't help running his hands along the lace that brushed against the soft swells over her breasts with a smirk.

She had always accused him of having a fetish with seeing her in lingerie; he'd always responded that it was only a fetish if it got out of hand. What he had was a healthy obsession with seeing his wife in the finer lingerie of life, and knowing that she got pleasure from wearing it. So to see Jo in the same lingerie-

It was like seeing her in her wedding dress for the first time, it made his heart race and his brain stall and he couldn't be happier.

"Zane?"

He snapped out of his thoughts to meet her chocolate gaze and he couldn't help the smirk that tugged at his lips. After a moment, he merely shook his head; they collided in that familiar way they had- mouths meeting and hands searching and bodies sliding together. It was familiar and comforting and perfect. He reached up, removing the ponytail from her hair and running his fingers through the knot of her braid, setting the silky strands free. At some point, they tumbled onto the bed, becoming lost in the desire.

Breaking to catch their breath, he met her gaze, reaching up to brush a strand from her eyes as she shifted to rest his weight on his arm. "Oh, Jo, I love you so." She reached up, caressing his cheek to tug him down to her.

"Then show me; make love to me, Zane. Please."

He pulled her closer, sliding an arm around her waist and tugging her into his side as her mouth met hers again. The kiss spoke volumes; he had laid his heart bare for her, and she accepted it willingly, caressing every broken and scarred piece and trying her hardest to put it back together. She accepted every broken piece of him, saw the man he'd been and the man he'd become after her counterpart turned her back on him; he was a scared little boy, watching yet another person walk away and leave him behind-

But he couldn't let it harden him against the world because he had the girls; his precious daughters, abandoned at the same time, and desperately needing their father to be there to keep their world steady. And he tried, oh how he tried, but there was only so much he could do on his own before he broke. He _needed_ her; he needed _someone_ to help him keep his world steady-

And he'd been wrong, wrong about the woman he'd fallen in love with all those year ago, who'd given him the three most beautiful girls in Eureka. And then suddenly, as if flipping a switch, his world was turned upside down because of Jo. _Divine intervention_ , Reverend Harper would call it. _Dumb luck_ , he'd have replied. An answer to a silent prayer; more like the winning bet on flipping a coin was more like it. Either way, his semi-ordered world had once more been rocked to its core.

Gently, he peeled the straps of her bra from her shoulders, placing kiss after kiss to the soft caramel skin. She tangled her fingers in his hair, her breathing quickening with each kiss and touch. He stopped however, upon seeing the faint scar on her chest from the surgery back in her alternate timeline. He leaned down and brushed a soft kiss to it for the briefest of moments and her breath caught. It had never taken him a lot to turn her on; from the moment they'd met there'd been sparks- that kiss in Cafe Diem after the incident with Area Fifty-One during the bowling tournament had been only the beginning. He had discovered that she delighted in touch; the graze of a hand, the brush of a kiss, the feel of his nose nuzzling into her hair while they sat on the sofa and watched a movie, how he could slip a hand between her thighs and caress the curve of her while out to lunch, how simply brushing a strand of hair from her eyes sent shivers down her spine. Yes, Zane had had years to learn how to turn her on; they had reveled in intimacy, enjoying it even more than the sex in those early days.

Her breathy gasps drew him from his thoughts as he continued down her body, and he chuckled softly. Zane had learned early on in his life that when it came to sex at all, she deserved to be pleased first; it was something he'd carried over into his marriage, always with the question in mind, _How can I be sure my girls are happy if my wife isn't?_ And he'd really tried; doing all he could only to have it blow up in his face when it came right down to it. But he still kept that question in the back of his mind. His girls were the most important things in his life, and their happiness and contentment was his priority-

But he also wasn't too proud to admit that he'd been neglecting himself as well.

_"Oh, Zane."_

It surprised him to discover that the things he did turned her on just like they did his wife- then again, at their core, they were the same person, they had just gone down two entirely different paths; the woman he loved was still in there, he would just have to find her. When he returned his mouth to hers, he wasn't surprised to see the glimmer of desire in her eyes and after a moment, he leaned down, brushing the softest of kisses to her mouth.

He was gentle, he was always gentle with her; from the first moment they'd made love to the last to now. A moment passed, as they got adjusted before he leaned down and brushed the softest of kisses to her forehead; her eyes closed on instinct, and she rested her hands against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart at her fingertips. He continued to kiss his way down her face until he got to her mouth. The kiss was gentle, loving, and he drank her in until he was complete before pulling away.

They took it slow, finding their rhythm as hands explored and mouths met in tender kisses. Whispered words were shared, soft declarations and tender promises breathed against sticky skin as their pace picked up. His took his time with her, being gentle and tender and making sure she was content with everything he did; her nails trailed along his back, digging lightly into his skin as they continued to move together in that familiar rhythm that was unique to them, no matter the timeline. _"Oh, my Josephina."_

She whimpered softly in delight, lifting her heels from the bed as he hit a particularly sweet spot within her; their mouths met again in a deep kiss and he slid a hand down to caress her hip, pulling her closer. She broke the kiss, reaching up to brush a strand of hair from his forehead and smiled softly. _"Keep going, I'm almost-"_ His lips found the space beneath the joint of her jawline, as their pace once more picked up-

Her blunt nails bit into his back as she exploded around him, nails digging into his back and hips tightening their hold as her toes curled and she arched her back, struggling to keep from screaming and waking the girls on the floor above them. He followed her moments later, burying his face in her hair as a shudder ran through him; she tightened her hold, burying her face in his neck. When slowly they peeled apart to meet each others' gazes, she breathed, "Why didn't that feel like a first time?"

He chuckled softly, releasing a slow breath as he shifted onto his back and pulled her to rest on his chest. Once settled, she lifted her head to meet his gaze, waiting. He met her gaze, blatant and unabashed in the emotions in his eyes before he leaned close and brushed his lips to her forehead. "It felt right," He replied, one hand moving to caress her spine. Sticky with sweat and smelling of sex, her hair a wild mess of curls, she was perhaps the most beautiful image he'd ever seen. "Absolutely right." The smile that met his words was as bright as the stars and only for him.

Once settled back against his chest, as they basked in the afterglow, she asked, "You never answered my question- what would happen to the timeline if we made love?"

He sighed, brushing a kiss to her forehead, knowing now that everything had changed. "It's the choices we make that make the timelines different,"

"So because we made love-" She looked up at him, but all he did was shrug and shake his head with a frown.

'I don't know; it could do anything. Then again it might not be a big enough change to cause any effect."

She thought a moment, snuggling into his. "What if I choose to stay?"

"Stay?"

She lifted her head to meet his gaze. "In this timeline instead of going back to my Alternate timeline. If you're able to find a way to send me back, what if I choose to stay instead of go? Or, alternatively, what if I choose to go instead of stay?"

"We'd have to wait and see, the science of time travel isn't exact."

She nodded before returning her head to his chest. As they settled down and sleep slowly began to claim them both, he reached up and stroked a hand through her hair. _What if I choose to stay? What if I choose to go?_ For Jo, the questions themselves were enough to worry her; something _she_ hadn't ever bothered worrying about. Eventually, sleep began to tug at him too and he willingly followed, a single question popping into his head as he did-

How could two versions of the _same_ woman be so completely _different_?


	38. Chapter 38

_A Month Later_

Something shifted, in the days after they made love at the cabin. They seemed to come to an unspoken agreement, but when and about what neither could say. They just knew that something in their relationship had shifted; it no longer felt like roommates sharing a house and raising the girls, but partners, sharing the responsibility of raising the girls. They weren't the only ones who noticed the shift in their relationship; the girls noticed as well, but none of them said anything, they merely shared glances and watched the adults out of the corner of their eyes.

By the end of August, it was evident to more than the girls- Carter and the others began to notice the shift also, and unlike the girls, the adults actually said something. Which is how it ended up being the topic of conversation at Grace and Henry's annual barbecue the last weekend in August, the first weekend after school started. They had slowly brought the kids into Zane and Jo's secret- telling Kevin when he came down from Boston at the start of the summer, and then Zoe and finally Jenna when she came home to visit for the weekend.

To say all three were surprised was an understatement; a multitude of questions followed by a clashing of theories that all ended with Zane finally admitting that they were still trying to figure out exactly _how_ she'd ended up in this timeline and where _she_ had gone- because they hadn't found any evidence to support the possibility that Jo had simply replaced her; the strongest theory was that they'd swapped places. "We're working on it, but nothing is guaranteed nor set in stone."

"Set in stone, you mean her leaving or her staying?" Zoe asked, sidling up to where Zane stood watching his daughters chase each other in the backyard. Zane met the young doctor's gaze.

"What're you trying to get at, Zoe?"

"C'mon, Zane, everybody knew," Her heart went out to him as she watched the realization dawn on his face. "No one in town said anything because we respect your privacy and you're not the type to air your dirty laundry, but we all _knew_ what she was doing and how you were trying so damned hard to keep the marriage together for the girls. Just because this town is full of geniuses doesn't mean they don't rally around and protect their own."

"You think it's a good thing she's here?" They turned as Kevin joined them, but before either could respond, another voice cut into the conversation.

"It's Aunt Jo, _regardless_ of the timeline, it's still _Aunt Jo_ ," Jenna came up to them, trying desperately to tame the chaos that was her kinky, curly natural hair beneath the white cloth headband she wore. "Hi, Uncle Zane." She wrapped him in a hug, enjoying the feel of her favorite uncle's arms around her. Jenna had always had a special relationship with Zane; as she'd grown up, she'd often gone to him when she couldn't get a hold of Henry or didn't want to talk to Carter. She had a close relationship with Cate, having helped the young couple with the toddler when she was a kid. Cate was the little sister she'd never had and Jenna often called her such.

So to find out what Jo had been doing _behind_ Zane's _back_ -

She loved Jo, but she loved Zane more, and of the two, Jenna was loyal to her Uncle Zane first and foremost. And to see him hurting so, to know that his _wife_ was the cause... it made the young Marshal's blood boil and she longed to tell her aunt exactly what she thought of her. But this new Jo- well, from what she'd gathered and been told, she had a lot of the same values and beliefs Zane did; she came from a timeline where family and marriage was sacred, having let it slip during their weekend out that after her mother died of cancer, her father, ever the hardened general, just couldn't let his wife go.

 _"Every night, I watched my dad go through photographs, and old home movies, and he just couldn't let her go. He got so caught up in his own loss that... he didn't necessarily neglect us, but he didn't exactly raise us either. My brothers and I raised ourselves; we had no choice."_ Jenna hadn't understood the significance of the comment until now and she began to understand that though she came from another timeline, Jo's childhood hadn't been easy; she knew what it was like to be neglected by a parent, even involuntarily, and so had seemed determined that Cate and her sisters never felt such, for however long she was in this timeline.

Music soon wafted out of the speakers, an old tune from the late twenty-teens that had caught the world in its grip for months and the small group looked up to see the object of their conversation dancing with Ela. The light little yellow summer dress hugged her curves and fell to slightly above her knees; it accented her black hair which was down in curls and the ruched bodice accented her small bust; the white ballet flats she wore completed the look and she had turned everyone's heads when they'd gotten there.

_"'... Dance for me, dance for me, dance for me, oh, oh, oh, I've never seen anybody do the things you do before...'"_

Her movements were graceful and fluid; a ballerina without the Pointe shoes or tutu, the backyard where the barbecue was being held her stage. It was evident the years she'd spent training in dance were still there, despite the career she'd chosen; if she had wanted, she could have truly become a dancer.

"Zane?" He turned as Carter and the others joined their small group, all eyes on Jo and the girls as they took seats. "You slept with her, didn't you?"

"Blunt as ever, Carter." Zane cracked, glancing at his drink as he took a seat between Zoe and Kevin.

"Just answer the question, Zane."

"Fine, _yes_ , we slept together, okay? We were up at the cabin with the girls over Independence Day weekend and it just happened. It was completely consensual, it was protected, it just _happened_. What more do you want from me? If you want me to apologize, I'm not going to because I'm not sorry. We're both consenting adults, and it was _our_ choice; we made it together." Zoe reach out, squeezing his arm in support.

"Are you sure you aren't getting _attached_ to her?" Carter asked, concern for his friend in his voice; he'd watched Zane's marriage implode and had wanted nothing more than to take her aside and beat the living hell out of her until she came to her senses. Zane sighed.

"So what if I am?"

"And if we manage to figure out what sent her here and send her back to her timeline?"

Grace spoke up next, her voice gentle, "If we manage to send her back to her timeline, are you going to be able to let her go?" His silence was all the answer they needed. Glances were shared, and everyone seemed to want to broach the other white elephant in the room, but they weren't sure how.

"Hey Uncle Zane?" He met Jenna's gaze and she bit her lip. "How... how _old_ is... _this_ version of Aunt Jo?"

Immediately, every head turned to watch the young woman in question and Zane took a deep breath. "She was born in eighty-three, Jen."

"So the same year our-" He nodded, "And what year is she from?" The young woman nodded towards the Security Director, who was so lost in her own world she was completely unaware that she was the center of a backyard conspiracy at the moment.

"Two-thousand-twelve." Henry replied, a small smile coming to his face as he watched Jo spin Ela; Anna and Cate had migrated to where the bowl of fruit salad sat on the picnic table and were giggling about something.

"And it's twenty-twenty-two." Nods confirmed the younger woman's reply and she quickly did the math in her head, but her brother beat her to the conclusion.

"If she was born in eighty-three, then she should be thirty-nine in this timeline."

"Aren't you older than her, Uncle Zane?" Jenna asked, and her uncle nodded, rubbing a hand over his face with a sigh.

"I was born in eighty-one, Jen, and I turned _forty-one_ in January." She turned to meet her step-sister's gaze across her uncle; Zoe had quickly come to the same conclusion the half-siblings had, before the adults could catch up.

"She's ten years behind," Zoe whispered, turning to glance at her surrogate older sister. "Not just in timelines but in her looks in how she acts- she's not on the same level as the rest of us."

"Because she's not _from_ this timeline, Zo. So of course she's going to be younger than she should be." Kevin spoke up and the blonde turned a glare on her brother.

"She acts older than she is, but that's just Jo; she's always acted older than her age. She had to grow up fast." Allison said, glancing at her friend. She loved Jo, but she'd been unable to ignore what she'd done to her marriage- in fact Allison had been the one to confront her about it before she'd left to go up to Vancouver; the women hadn't parted on good terms, and Allison had feared she'd destroyed the oldest friendship she'd ever had in Eureka.

 _"Don't you care, even a little, about what you're doing to Zane and the girls? Jo, this is your_ marriage _, those are your_ children _-"_

_"Look, Al, I know you don't understand-"_

_'Then explain it to me so I do understand, Jo! You're my best friend, we're supposed to tell each other when things get rough so we can be there for each other!"_

_"Don't you_ dare _pull that card on me, Allison Blake-"_

 _"Why not? Because you're afraid that what you could tell me is too hard to handle? Jo, you were there for me when Jenna got sick; you gave blood when she needed that transfusion because_ you _were the_ only match _in the entire goddamned town_! _You and Zane helped Jack and I get through it! We wouldn't have if it wasn't for you! That's what best friends do, Jo, they share the burden, they don't hide and keep secrets from each other-"_

_"I can't do it anymore! I just can't do it anymore, Al!"_

_"Do what? Jo, you're not making any sense-"_

_"This! I can't do this!" She held out her hand, and suddenly Allison understood. "I can't do it anymore; it's sucking me dry, Al. I thought this was what I wanted, but I was wrong. I don't want children, I don't want marriage. I don't want Eureka! I don't want any of it."_

_"Jo, what about Zane? And the girls? Cate and-"_

_"Catie was- Anna and Ela- they were all mistakes. I never should have had children; I never should have gotten involved with Zane. Hell, I never should have come to Eureka. I should have stayed in Vancouver with Evan at Cross Photonics."_

_"You don't meant that-"_

_"Yes I do, Allison!"_

" _Just where do you think you're going?"_

 _"Up to Vancouver_ , _and this time I'm not comin' back_ , _no matter what you or Zane or anyone else says."_

" _Jo_ , _you can't-"_

 _"Oh_ , _yes I can_. _Don't you tell me what I can and cannot do_ _, Al. You're my friend, not my mother."_

_She grabbed the driver's side door, stopping her, however briefly. "Jo, don't do this! Don't leave! We need you! Eureka and GD needs you! Zane needs you! Your daughters need you!"_

_Dark chocolate eyes glared at her. "If they need a mother so badly then why don't you step in? You were always more of a mother than I was anyway. I'm outta here; see ya around, Al."_

Allison had dreaded telling Zane about the conversation she'd had with her before she'd left, but she'd told him. He'd reacted as she thought he would- quiet at first before trying to laugh it off as a joke, before it finally set in that she was serious. He'd been angry, of course he had, who wouldn't be? But he'd gotten over it, accepted it, and later confronted his wife about it after receiving the divorce papers, forcing her to come home, which had resulted in the switch-

She looked up as Jo went to the radio and began fiddling with the volume. The woman who was here now seemed so drastically different to the woman who was her best friend; she was friendlier, gentler, clearly cared for and loved the girls, and it was evident by now that she was falling in love with Zane, and that was what worried Allison. Not that she would somehow end up turning out like her counterpart, but that if they managed to figure out how she was sent here and how to send her back... it would break Zane's heart, and he'd already endured enough heartbreak.

After a moment, she got up, joining the younger woman at the radio. Allison's guilt about the argument didn't lessen when Jo looked up and smiled at her. The good doctor mustered a quick smile. "Need help?"

"Sure; the volume keeps fluctuating-" The two women worked on it for several minutes, and when they seemed to get it exactly right- "Ouch!"

Both women jolted back, having been shocked by the machine. "You okay?" Jo nodded, sticking the tips of her fingers in her mouth before shaking her hand.

"Yeah, just shocked me; you?" Allison nodded, flexing her fingers to making the tingling sensation go away. The two women shared a weak laugh before Jo excused herself to slip into the house, saying something about wanting to wash her hands. Allison watched her go, guilt clouding her mind. She'd been unintentionally taking her anger out on the younger woman and she knew it wasn't fair, but she couldn't help herself.

"Oh for the _love of God_ , wipe that kicked puppy look off your face. It didn't work with me when we first became friends, and it won't work with me now, Al." Allison turned, surprised to find Jo standing behind her.


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: A new timeline twist on The Ex-Files...

Someone caught her around the waist, pulling her close as she slipped into the kitchen, headed for the backyard. "There you are, Jojo, I was wondering where you disappeared to." She blushed, laughing softly.

"Zane! I just went to the bathroom, that's all." He reached up to brush a curl off her cheek, blue eyes studying her. "What?"

He shrugged. "Nothing, I just like looking at you." She stepped back, gaze narrowing briefly in confusion.

"Right... I'm going back out to the party. Are you coming?"

But when she got back outside, she was surprised to find Zane in conversation with Henry and Carter, when she as so certain he'd just been in the kitchen with her. She glanced behind her, even went back into the kitchen, only to find herself alone. "You okay, Jo?" She jumped, letting out a squeak as she turned to find Grace behind her, and quickly plastered on a smile.

"Fine! Just trying to escape the heat for a few minutes."

The older woman nodded, making her way to the fridge. "Want to help?" The younger woman quickly moved to take the peach cobbler from the fridge; she noticed the cake Allison had made as well. "That peach cobbler looks divine; would it be too much trouble if I asked Zane for the recipe?"

Jo giggled. "I don't see why not; it's his mother's."

As soon as they set the desserts on the picnic table, the girls dashed over, recognizing the familiar tray in Jo's hands. "Is that Granna's four-peach cobbler?" Cate asked excitedly and Jo nodded, feeling Zane's hand come up to rest on her lower back. She stiffened briefly, before turning to meet his gaze.

"Four- peach cobbler?" Carter asked, as everyone gathered around and passed out plates. "How many different varieties of peaches could there possibly be?"

"Two thousand," Ela piped up as she accepted a plate. "But Granna's recipe only calls for four- clingstone peaches, dougnut peaches, peento peaches and nectarines,"

"Nectarines aren't peaches!" Carter replied, and Ela turned to him.

"Yes they are, Uncle Jack!"

"Well, botanically, Jack, they are a type of peach; the difference between a peach and a nectarine is the skin and color- the skin of a nectarine is smooth and fuzz-free and darker in color. Peaches have fuzzy skins and are lighter in color." Henry spoke up and Ela made a face at the sheriff.

" _Told_ you!" The adults laughed at the youngest Donovan daughter's antics. "Thank you, Auntie Grace!" And then she was gone, darting across the yard to the tree not far away, determined to get to it before her sisters because it had the best shade; the others chuckled. Of all the girls, Ela had the most energy; she kept everyone on their toes and often ended up dragging her sisters along on whatever she'd gotten herself into.

"That child... she wears me out just listening to her." Grace said as everyone settled down to enjoy the sweet desserts.

"Try raising her," Zane replied with a chuckle as Jo joined him, taking a seat beside him; their knees brushed and the pair shared a glance. "we have eight more years before she'd out of the house."

Everyone fell into easy conversation then, though everyone kept stealing glances at Zane and Jo; the pair shared soft conversation, an occasional touch or heated look, the shift of a knee or the rare occasion when Zane leaned over and brushed a kiss to the slope of Jo's shoulder, which she returned with a kiss to his chin. It was evident exactly how deep the pair had fallen since sleeping together at the cabin, and everyone was worried that they were both getting too attached to each other- what if she managed to go back to her alternate timeline? Would Zane be willing to let her go? Watching them at the moment, the answer was a resounding 'no,' which was what they all feared.

As the party wound down, Allison and Jo both helped Grace divide and parcel out the food as Carter, Henry and Zane helped the kids clear the backyard. As Grace and Jo took the first few divided dishes outside to parcel off, Allison relaxed; so maybe seeing her had been a trick of the light- she'd been on Allison's mind and her mind her mind had conjured her up as a response. "You _really_ think you're going to get rid of me that easily? Come on, Al, I'm not that stupid. I may be a 'grunt with a gun' as my _lovely_ husband likes to call me, but I have more brains that _half_ the personnel who work at GD and an IQ higher than my husband's- and _that's_ saying something considering he's a genius."

The older woman jumped, just managing to catch the bowl she nearly knocked off the counter as she turned; Jo leaned against the counter, arms crossed over her chest and eyebrow raised. Her long black hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and now that Allison got a good look at her, she realized that she was wearing a pair of well-worn jeans that were worn out at the knees, a black shirt with the words _'It's just a bunch of hocus pocus'_ emblazoned in white across the chest and one of Zane's dark blue plaid flannels, the sleeves rolled up past her elbows. She had a simple gold chain around her neck with a cross on it and a set of wooden bangles on her wrist. It was shockingly similar to what she'd worn the day she'd left- Allison shook her head; no, it wasn't similar, it was _exactly_ what she'd worn the day Allison had tried to stop her from leaving. Her gaze flicked to Jo's hand and she felt her breath hitch; it was bare, void of any sparkling diamond or gold wedding ring. Black brows furrowed, revealing the small wrinkle between her brows. "What're ya staring at? Al? _Hell-o?_ Anyone home?"

The brush of a hand against her shoulder sent the good doctor jumping, and she turned to find Jo quickly backing up, hands raised in mild surrender. "Sorry, Al, didn't mean to scare you." She stepped closer, black curls falling into her face. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

A moment passed, before the older woman smiled at her. Now that she looked at her, she recognized the little yellow sundress she was wearing and internally breathed a sigh of relief, though she wasn't sure why. "I'm fine, Jo, just got lost in my own thoughts." A look Allison couldn't read passed over the Security Director's face before she nodded and moved to pick up the plates designated for Henry and Grace and place them in the fridge before helping Allison gather the others and take them out to be divided up.

The party ended with hugs and promises to get together again soon; Zoe and Jenna made Jo promise that they would get together the next week and have lunch and even Kevin agreed to come of which the older woman readily agreed. Before they left, Jo waved quickly to Allison before slipping into the car; Allison watched them leave, turning as Carter came up to her. "You okay, Allie?"

She nodded, forcing a smile. "Fine. Just a little tired." He nodded, and as they climbed into the car, Allison turned back, gaze widening in surprise to see Jo leaning against Henry's truck, hands on her hips as she rolled her eyes.

"Allie? Whatcha looking at?" She turned to her husband, when she looked back her friend was gone.

"Nothing."


	40. Chapter 40

The water was warm as it danced down her skin and she sighed; she only vaguely heard the bathroom door open, and a pair of strong arms slipped around her waist, pulling her back against him. "Want some company?" The soft purr sent chills down her spine and she turned to meet his gaze.

"Zane!" A soft giggle escaped her and she gently pushed him back, meeting his gaze. "You don't have to be up for a couple hours; I'm going in early so I can get as some work done before I drown in paperwork because _everyone_ decided to submit their proposals at the same time-"

"Maybe I wanted to spend a little quality time with my girl." He shrugged, reaching up to gently thumb her bottom lip. The action startled her, because Zane had never done that, in either timeline; he much preferred to simply kiss her, would occasionally trail kisses down her jawline, but _never_ thumb her lower lip. A moment passed before she cast it aside and stepped back.

"Right, quality time, mhmm. I know you're a cinephile, babe, but lay of the nineteen-fifties films for a while."

"Whatever you say, darling." She pulled away, and proceeded to wash her hair, becoming lost in her own thoughts. After she finished and stepped out of the shower, wrapping the towel around herself, she stepped out into the bedroom to a shock. With the start of the school year the week before, Zane told her that they often took the first couple weeks of the new school year and took the girls to breakfast before dropping them off at school; it had been a tradition since they were little, which meant they wouldn't be in until about eight-thirty or nine since Tesla started an hour later and ended an hour later than other schools around the country. Zane was still sound asleep in bed, and clearly hadn't moved. Mouth open in surprise, she stepped back into the bathroom-

But it was empty.

She took a couple minutes to get her bearings back; she'd _seen_ Zane in the shower, she was certain she had. He'd wrapped his arms around her and tried to kiss her, but if he was still in bed sound asleep... shaking her head she quickly got dressed before going to his side of the bed and kneeling down. He slept soundly, chest rising and falling with each even breath. A moment passed before she reached out and stroked her fingers through his messy locks; he stirred at the movement. She soon found herself staring into blue eyes filled with sleep and smiled softly. "Jojo? What time is it?"

The sleepiness in his voice tugged at her heart. "A little after five."

He yawned. "C'me back t' bed... work until nine..."

"I know, but I was gonna go in and try to get some work done; try and get caught up on the project proposals everyone decided to send me all at once," She quipped gently, fingers still stroking his hair. "You stay and get some sleep; you don't need to be in until nine or so, and I'll meet you and the girls at Cafe Diem at six-thirty, okay?"

He nodded, catching her hand as she pulled away. Giving him a quick kiss, she slipped out of the room and then headed downstairs; it was cool enough and nice enough that she decided to walk, and so slipped her headphones in before leaving the house.

By the time she got to GD and to her office, she'd almost completely forgotten about the shower; but she was tired, which had to account for why she thought Zane had joined her- after coming back from the barbecue the night before, making sure the girls had their homework done, and sending them to bed, the pair had stayed up talking softly over a glass of wine. They'd then gone to bed, but sleep had been the last thing on their minds. They'd worn each other out, and honestly, she was surprised she'd managed to get up this morning.

When she slipped into Cafe Diem around six-thirty, she was in serious need of coffee. She waved to Vincent, who was as cheery at six-thirty as he was at the normal hour, and slipped off to grab a table; the bell above the door jingled and she turned on instinct, even as she felt a familiar hand on her waist, catching her before she could move too far. Zane caught her in a quick kiss and she smiled softly, giggling as the Ela bounded over to the counter, dragging a grumbling Cate by the hand; Anna followed close behind, trying hard to hide a yawn. Tradition or not, it was still early.

Around seven, when the early morning rush hit, the pair looked up to see Carter and Allison enter with the kids in tow. They waved to the pair and soon both families were sitting together enjoying breakfast since the girls didn't have to be at school until eight. On more than one occasion, Jo would glance at Allison; it was evident something was going on, but neither woman had the courage to ask, and everyone was so preoccupied with breakfast and conversation that no one noticed that there was something going on with Carter's coffee.

Midway through breakfast, Jo stood, going to the counter; she'd watched Vincent put the muffin towers out and had been waiting patiently. She smiled at Vincent as the chef watched her and chuckled before turning to help another customer; grabbing a napkin, she leaned down, searching. A smile tugged at her lips as she spotted the tray filled with the ones she wanted and she quickly reached for one. The scent of cinnamon and pumpkin filled her senses, and she brought the breakfast baked good to her nose. "One thing that never changes, no matter the timeline," She muttered to herself, peeling the paper away from the bread with a quiet thrill. " _Love_ Muffin Mondays."

She turned to return to her seat, stumbling back and managing to just keep a grip on her hard-searched for muffin as she nearly collided with Zane. "Do you have to sneak up on me like that?" He merely raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Didn't realize you were such a scaredy cat, Jojo." He quipped, tone slightly condescending; she deflated slightly and then shook herself of it, glaring at him.

"I'm not, but I don't like being snuck up on, you know that." She brushed past him as he grabbed her arm, turning her back around to face him. "What?"

He studied her for a moment before, "We need to talk." His voice held none of the playfulness of a few moments ago; instead it was tinged with frustration and annoyance _._

"Okay? About?"

"Jo?" She froze, a familiar voice reaching her ears and slowly, she turned. Zane, having come back from the bathroom, stood not far away, eyebrow raised in confusion, a look of worry on his face. "Who're you talkin' too, babe?" She turned back, to find Zane watching her, hands in his pockets as he rocked back on his heels. She tossed a quick smile out before turning to face him.

"You know that shock I got yesterday from fiddling with the radio at Henry and Grace's?" He nodded, and she licked her lips. "I think I might need Allison to do an MRI."

"Are you sure?" She nodded, letting him slip his arms around her waist and tug her close. "You okay?"

"I'm sure I'm fine; it just... better safe than sorry, right?" He nodded and kissed her quickly. As she followed him back to their table, she glanced behind her to see Zane watching her, a sneer tugging at his lips. When she returned to the table, she leaned down beside Allison. "Would you be willing to run an MRI scan?"

Allison turned to her, confused. "Of course. Is everything all right?" Jo nodded, but the look in her eyes told Allison something major was going on and she readily agreed. Once seated, Allison leaned close. "Jo, what's going on?" The younger woman bit her lip before leaning close.

"Yesterday at the barbecue, we were both shocked by the radio," Allison nodded. "I think I'm hallucinating." Without a word, Allison stood, nodding for Jo to follow and with a quick word to their families, the two women slipped outside and moved to a quiet corner of the street to talk.

"What do you mean by hallucin-" She asked urgently, beginning to wring her hands, a nervous habit from her days in elementary school. The younger woman groaned and rolled her eyes.

" _Seriously, Allison?_ What other way could I _possibly_ mean besides _hallucinating_? I-" She stopped, gaze narrowing. "Wait a minute, why are you-" Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth only to close it again. _"You too?"_ The doctor nodded, gazed darting behind the Security Director for the briefest of moments. "Wait, _who are you seeing?_ "

It was so soft she hadn't thought Allison had spoken. "You."

"I... I'm sorry?"

" _You, Jo!_ I'm seeing you! Or... _her._ " She amended, at the startled look on the younger woman's face. She didn't know if the look on her face was good or bad or a mixture of both; Allison continued to wring her hands as she waited for her friend to say something.

It took a few minutes for Jo to form a coherent thought before, _"Why?"_

"I don't know-" Allison shrugged, gaze landing over Jo's shoulder at someone behind her and she swallowed. She wore the same thing she'd worn the day before when Allison had first seen her. Her hands were balanced on her hips and she stood with her feet shoulders width apart, an annoyed look on her face.

"You know _very well why_ , Al, you just don't want to have to 'fess up to it."

A moment passed, before Allison turned back to Jo, even as the hallucination version crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her. Jo swallowed; she could see Zane over Allison's shoulder, but he wasn't in the black slacks, blazer and dark purple button-down he'd worn when he walked into the cafe this morning. Instead, he wore a pair of jeans and a tight t-shirt, hands in his pockets as he watched her. "Zane."

"Zane? What is he-" Allison turned to search for the younger man, but Jo quickly waved it away.

 _"No!"_ She grabbed Allison's hand, tugging her close as the older woman turned back to her "Al, I'm seeing Zane, only," She bit her lip. "I think it's _my_ Zane, the one from my other timeline."

"The Alternate timeline." Allison clarified and Jo nodded.

"About time you started putting those _practical_ smarts to good use." Jo's gaze darted over Allison's shoulder and she winced. Where he'd been sweet and loving this morning when she'd thought he'd been this Zane, now he was snide, but she couldn't figure out why.

"Is she... as condescending and snide?" Allison opened her mouth to answer her friend, but the hallucination beat her too it.

"Condescending? Snide? Why don't you just let her call me a bitch? Where did you find her anyway, Al?"

"She's... worse." Allison paused. "She's a bitch."

Jo narrowed her gaze, arms crossing over her chest. "Nice, Al, real nice. Stab me in the chest after stabbing me in the back; you want a shot at each side too while you're at it?"

A moment passed before she asked, "And your Zane?"

The younger woman sighed. "Snarky and snide, but that's not new. What's new is that he's mean, like _actually_ mean. Zane was never mean, in either timeline. I think he's playing with me because he's nice and sweet one minute and the next-"

"Raging bitch." Allison filled in as the younger woman nodded, glaring at Jo, who stood behind the younger woman with a glare on her pretty features.

"A raging bitch? Gee, _thanks_ , Al, nice to know what nearly twenty years of friendship _really_ means to you." She crossed her arms over her chest, bangles clicking together. "And _I'm_ the bitch."

"At least she didn't try to _replace_ the you from another timeline with this one." Zane said, sneering at Jo from over Allison's shoulder. "Oh, wait, she's trying to do that with this one. What's a'matter, Jojo,"

"Don't call me that." Jo protested weakly, and Allison's gaze darted from the younger woman to the hallucination of her friend before turning to look behind her; she started as Carter and Zane came out of the cafe with the kids; Zane held tight to Ela's hand. The others all moved to see what she was staring at and Zane rolled his eyes with a snort, turning back to Jo.

" _The hell, Jojo?_ So I wasn't good enough for you? What, the pardon wasn't enough? Is that why you left? Find another timeline to hop into and weasel your way into the life of _another_ me?"

"I told you not to call me that!" It took a moment before she was able to take a deep breath, and once she had she turned to Allison. "We need to fix this. We can't be seeing two different versions of people, the town will think we've gone nuts- they already think I have."

"No one thinks that," Allison replied, reaching over to take her hand. The younger woman gave her a small smile before pulling away; they joined the others, trying hard to ignore the hallucinations behind them. They promised to meet at the infirmary after Jo and Zane dropped the girls at school; hopefully by then, they'd have some sort of a lead into what was going on.


	41. Chapter 41

While hallucinations were wreaking havoc on Allison and Jo, Carter was having a blast.

Unaware that there was anything wrong with the coffee- or any of the coffee he'd been drinking lately- he'd been drinking all morning during breakfast with Allie, Zane, Jo and the kids, he'd had more than one cup of his usual- he'd had about four by the time breakfast finished and everyone scattered to the wind. The affects felt instantaneous and he immediately began enjoying his newfound intelligence; for once, he was on the same level as the majority of the geniuses in this town, even Jo with her 'grunt-with-a-gun-hidden-doctorate-and-silent-partner-millionairess-business-degree' routine which was fooling no one, if he were perfectly honest.

It started with a couple little experiments done in the bathroom of the sheriff's office and ended with a boost to Andy's processor. Of course the sight of the sheriff at GD was nothing unusual, but the sight of the sheriff in a _lab coat_ , rattling off advanced calculations, _was_ and turned more than a few heads. Henry, Grace and Allison were immediately alerted as was Jo, who had been in the infirmary at the time going over the results of her MRI scan as well as Allison's- both of which came back normal, which only confirmed their theory that both women were suffering from hallucinations due to the shock of radio at the party the day before. Zane, having come up from Section Five to check on his wife- Jo'd been acting... well, jumpy was really the only word he could use to describe her at the moment- and had run into Henry and Grace on his way, and followed.

So that was how Allison found herself having run tests on the contents of the half empty to go cup Carter had handed her at one point. She turned to the others with a sigh. "I tested the Vincepresso blend that Jack was drinking this morning and there are unusually high levels of Alpha GpC, but I have no idea _how_ it got into his drink." Zane narrowed his gaze, before turning to Jo.

"I think I have an idea how. C'mon, Jojo." The Security Director glanced at her friends before following her husband. She caught Zane's gaze as he stood by her and quickly followed.

"Where are we going?"

"Tesla."

_"Why?"_

"To pick up the girls."

"That _still_ doesn't explain-"

"I have a hunch."

They weren't gone any longer than twenty minutes or so and when they returned, they had the girls in tow, all confused as to why they had been pulled from class. Henry raised an eyebrow and with a chuckle, asked, "Uh, Zane? What's-"

But all the Section Five Director did was shove all three of his daughters before them and step back. Allison watched her adoptive nieces, more than a little confused. None of the girls said anything; Cate and Anna shared a glance while Ela looked at anything and anyone except the adults. "Which one of you did it?"

"Did what, Daddy?" Cate asked, thoroughly confused as to why she and her sisters had been pulled out of class. She turned to Jo, who had a look cross her face that the girl couldn't read; she looked uncomfortable, and shifted closer to Zane, slipping her hands around his bicep.

"Zane, what's going on?" Allison asked, glancing at Jo, who merely shook her head. Zane, however, wasn't having any of it; he wrapped an arm around Jo's waist, giving her a quick squeeze before speaking.

"One of our _darling daughters_ slipped Carter a smart mickey." Zane ground out in annoyance; he turned to the girls. "Which one of you did it?"

None of them said anything; the silence stretched on for over five minutes as Cate and Anna shared a glance, both eventually shaking their heads. "Not me, Daddy," Anna said, tossing one of her smooth black braids over her shoulders. "You always say not to mess with brain stuff; that it's bad to mess with the brain. Besides, I like practical application, but not the science-y type." She wrinkled her nose and turned to Jo, grinning. "I like the stuff Mama does."

Cate rolled her eyes at her younger sister; since the cabin, the oldest Donovan daughter had noticed a shift in her father's relationship with the alternate counterpart of her mother- they were more loving towards each other, more touchy-feely, spent more time alone together, heads bent in soft conversation or cuddling on the sofa like a real couple as opposed to merely pretend- and she didn't like it. It felt like she was trying to take her mother's place, no matter if Jo said that she wasn't going to. She turned back to the question at hand, meeting her father's gaze. "Wasn't me, Daddy; I like theory, but I would never test it without consent; that's not only stupid, but dangerous."

Everyone turned to Ela, who looked around, pigtails swinging. She tried to smile but it fell flat. Zane and Jo shared a glance before Jo spoke up. "Ela, look at me," Slowly the child did as told, turning to her parents. _"What did you dose him with?"_

"Nothing, Mama."

Zane pulled away from his wife, crossing his arms. "Eleanora." The child slowly met her father's steely blue gaze. _"What did you slip Uncle Jack_ and _how_?" Silence. "Answer me, young lady!"

The child curled in on herself, glancing quickly at Henry, Grace and Allison who all made it very clear they weren't going to help her out of the conundrum she'd gotten herself into. _"Eleanora Rosalie Donovan, you answer your father and you answer him now!"_ Everyone started, surprised at the sternness in Jo's voice, none more so than Ela, who stared at her with wide blue eyes.

After the shock wore off, the girl whispered, "I was just doing an experiment."

"Experiment? What _kind_ of _experiment_?" Zane bit and his daughter winced, Jo reached out to rest a hand on his back to calm him. _"Eleanora."_ She didn't respond. _"What did you do?"_

"It's a cognitive enhancement drug. I made it from scratch." The child finally replied, chewing on her lower lip. "It's... it's _supposed_ to increase memory and cognition, but _it's not supposed to last this long! It was only supposed to last a week; I started it on Tuesday and I wasn't giving him that much! Just enough to boost his learning and understanding a little- I only wanted to see if the rest of you would notice if... if Uncle Jack was smart for a week and then he wasn't! That's all! I didn't mean to cause any harm! I only gave him small doses! I just wanted to see what would happen and if it would affect how you all see him. And_... and _maybe_ if he was smarter he could help Daddy figure out how Mama got here and how she can stay! _"_

 _"See_ him how?" Jo asked, confused as Ela turned to her; her sisters had each taken several steps away from her to avoid the blast zone. Zane glanced at Henry, both men had latched on how Ela had seemingly wanted Carter to be smarter so they could help figure out how Jo got there.

_"Uncle Jack isn't as smart as Uncle Henry or Auntie Grace or Auntie Allie or Daddy or even you, Mama. And the other kids make cracks about 'the dumb old sheriff' and I just thought... if he was smart for a week, then they would stop. And that maybe he would be able to do super investigating to figure out how Mama ended up here and how we can keep her from leaving, because I don't want her to leave! And I thought if I gave Uncle Jack little doses over a week as an experiment, then it wouldn't look at suspicious, and all anyone would notice would be that he was getting a little smarter. But I was going to end it tomorrow! I didn't know it would all kick in at once!"_

She glanced at her Aunt Allison, tears trailing down her cheeks and in her eyes; of all three sisters, Ela was the most sensitive, perhaps because she was the youngest, or perhaps because she was more in tune with her emotions, no one was really sure. _"I'm really, really sorry, Auntie Allie. I didn't mean to hurt Uncle Jack, I was just trying to help_."

The adults shared glances and Allison started briefly, hearing the one person she'd been trying to ignore all day. "Building neuro-enhancing drugs from _scratch_ at _ten_? Get her a membership to the Mad Scientist's Union; my baby's an evil genius. I couldn't be more proud." Allison tried her hardest to not turn to face the hallucination of her friend, and she found herself muttering,

_"Shut up, Jo."_

"Hey! I didn't _say_ anything!" The older woman's head snapped up, and she met the younger woman's gaze. The others shared glances, but Allison waved it away.

"Sorry." She the picked up data pad and stylus, holding them out to her youngest niece, even as she moved to wipe the tears off the girl's cheeks. "We need to know everything that was in your CED-"

"And since you've helped create this mess, _you_ are going to help clean it and put Uncle Jack back to normal." Zane ground out, taking his youngest by the shoulder. He knelt down to her level. 'And _just_ so we're _clear_ , Eleanora, you're _grounded_ until you're _thirty. Are we clear?_ "

Ela met her father's gaze. "Yes, Daddy."

The familiar ringing of a PDA cut through the conversation and Jo answered on instinct. "Lupo." She stopped, realizing what she'd said and reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Sorry, Donovan." She groaned softly. "Okay. I'll be right there." She ended the call, turning the others. "Someone's breached our off-site communications." She glanced at Ela, who lowered her gaze. "I gotta head to the station-"

"You want me to come with you?" She turned back as Zane grabbed her wrist, tugging her back. She could see Zane watching her over his shoulder, a glare crossing his features as she shook her head.

"I shouldn't be gone long, just drop Anna and Cate back at Tesla and let them know what's going on with Ela, if you could." Giving him a quick kiss, she then dashed out of the infirmary.

Slowly everyone else left; Zane took Cate and Anna back to Tesla and Ela went with Henry and Grace to start working on an antidote. Left alone, Allison sank back in her chair, becoming lost in thought. The fact that Ela had dosed her uncle partially so he wouldn't be looked at as the 'dumb old sheriff' and partially so he could help Henry and Zane figure out what exactly happened to cause Jo to end up here, and so she wouldn't leave- was equal parts touching and frustrating all at once.

The fact that the ten-year-old had made it from _scratch_ \- that alone was impressive, because from what Ela had told her, she'd memorized the formula and then found the ingredients and cooked it up in her father's lab in their basement. Allison didn't want to know where the girl had gotten the ingredients or when, so she didn't ask. She instead turned her thoughts to the reasons Ela had given- so Carter wouldn't be looked at as the 'dumb old sheriff' anymore, at least for a little while, which was sweet when she thought of it.

Of the three Donovan girls, Ela was the sweetest. She had the biggest heart, and cared about everyone and everything- from the monkeys in the aggression lab to the museum curator and even Andy and SARAH. She was perhaps the most adorable little girl ever and Zane and Jo were so lucky to be her parents, especially considering Jo's reluctance to go along with the pregnancy after finding out about it. "I don't understand how you could ever hate that little girl, Jo, she's like you in so many ways."

"I don't _hate_ Ela, I just don't _want_ her; there's a difference, Al." Allison lifted her head to see Jo sitting on the edge of her desk ankles crossed as they swung back and forth gently, as she held onto the edges of the desk. "I didn't want any of them, honestly. I didn't want to be a mother; Zane trapped me, he knew I'm a Catholic and that abortion isn't allowed in my religion-"

"Maybe so, but it was your choice to keep them, Jo. You could have easily given Cate up for adoption and broken it off with Zane. You didn't _have_ to marry him; you could have said 'no' when he asked. So the fault lies on you. Don't you dare blame Zane, he's done the best he can, and you haven't exactly made it easy on him. Especially with the shit you pulled right before you left. Honestly Jo, what were you thinking?"

The other woman studied her best friend briefly. Allison was always blunt when it came to Jo; she had never lied to her, never told her anything other than the truth, but now Allison began to realize that though she had always been honest with Jo, Jo had rarely been honest with her. She had kept her feelings bottled up, fed her closest friends and family lies to keep them happy and at arms' length, told them that the life she had was the life she wanted, when in reality the life she had was the last life she _wanted_...

And Zane- he had tried his hardest to keep his marriage together, to make sure the girls had a strong family unit even as his marriage was falling apart and his wife was stealing away to crawl into bed with an old childhood friend of hers. "If you were so unhappy why didn't you break it off before you got pregnant? You did it to yourself, Jo, you let yourself get trapped. What happened to the woman I knew? The one who was happy in her marriage? Or was it all an act from the very beginning?"

She had the decency to look at little ashamed before she lifted her head and met Allison's gaze. "You don't understand, Al. You always wanted to be a mother, I never did. I adored Jenna, but children of my own? Marriage? No thanks."

"That didn't give you the right to run away!"

"And that didn't give you the right to try and stop me! I'm a grown woman, I didn't need my mother to try to stop me, let alone my best friend! You should have let me go without a fight!"

"Zane wasn't going to fight to get you to stay! You all but walked out on him that morning without a word! You knew he wouldn't fight you because he had no fight left! Because he had to think of the girls! But all he'd been doing was fighting! He fought to keep a stable home for them and keep the problems _you_ were causing from hurting _his_ daughters! I tried to stop you from leaving because I knew you were wrong and I knew _someone_ had to try and talk some sense into you and that Zane wasn't going to! I just wish-"

Jo raised an eyebrow. "Wish?"

Allison turned away. "I wish we'd parted on better terms. You were and always will be my best friend, Jo, I don't want to lose you-"

"Then _why_ are you taking it out on me?"

Allison's brow furrowed, but she didn't get a chance to ask, interrupted by the ringing of her PDA. "Allison Blake. Whoa... whoa, slow down. Andy did _what?_ "


	42. Chapter 42

She took a deep breath, trying her hardest to ignore the person in the passenger seat. "We need to talk, Jojo."

"I told you not to call me that. And there's nothing to talk about."

"Nothing to talk about? Jo, I asked you to wait for me and you never responded! You kissed me, told me to be safe, and fled as fast as your feet could carry you!"

"Because I wasn't planning on waiting, Zane!" She glanced at him, seeing the shock on his face. "I packed my house up and I was planning on leaving and never coming back; I don't know where I was going to go, but I knew I wasn't going to return to Eureka."

"Well, good job with that, Jo," He quipped snidely. "Cause you're back in Eureka- just not _our_ Eureka."

Her answer was soft. "This _is_ my Eureka, Zane."

The simple statement startled her and she had to keep herself from slamming on the brakes. When had this alternate Eureka become _her_ Eureka? She'd only been here a little under six months, that certainly wasn't enough time for her to become fully adjusted to living in an alternate Eureka-

"I thought our Eureka was your Eureka-"

"Guess it wasn't."

"How can you say that? After everything we went through-"

"Zane, I never felt like I _belonged_ there. Even a year after, I still felt like I'd come in and taken over someone else's life; and maybe it's the same here, but here I have the girls and work and this marriage and I feel like I belong for the _first time_ and..." She stopped, something hitting her like a ton of bricks.

Belonged. She felt like she _belonged_.

From the moment she'd entered this timeline, Zane had done all he could to make sure she belonged and felt accepted and had a place- even when he was struggling with coming to terms with what _she_ had done, he _still_ made sure that she felt accepted. He saw her as a person, as his partner, as so much more than a hookup. She was his world, like he'd always been hers. Somewhere, somehow, in the last few months, the dynamic had shifted; she was no longer trying to help cover the fact that Zane's marriage had imploded, she was helping to _fix_ it. Unwittingly and unknowingly, she had slowly but surely taken his wife's place, not just at work but at home- as the girls' mother, as his partner, both in and outside the house, as his lover- she had become Zane's wife in every way that _mattered_.

Her gaze darted to the rings she wore on her left hand; they glinted in the light of the early fall afternoon. When they'd swapped, or shifted or dissolved and reassembled or _whatever_ had happened, had _she_ been wearing her rings? Or had she left them behind? It was evident that she'd already mentally, emotionally and physically checked out of her marriage, but had she left her rings as well, when she left that day? If she had, it would have been the ultimate slap in the face to Zane-

The _very_ thing he had given her back in her original timeline, that she had worn on a chain around her neck until she'd thrown it at him in the Alternate timeline- the thing that had caused them to come together in that timeline, to become lovers instead of remaining enemies- had been seen as a symbol of scorn and hindrance in this timeline. When all _she_ had longed for, for the last two years, was to tell Zane yes, that she loved him and would marry him.

And in this timeline she had, only to turn her back on the very thing Jo had dreamed of having from the time she was a child.

A home. Children. Marriage. Love.

Whatever had happened, had given her the chance to have the one thing she'd longed for since her mother died- the deep devotion her father had for her mother- directed at her by a man who loved her, the beauty of getting to raise children, and have a home and a life of her own. It gave her what she had never gotten the chance to say yes to in the original timeline, and what she wasn't sure was an option in the Alternate. And love, lots and lots of love.

"I love you." Her whisper was so soft, she wasn't sure she'd spoken.

"If you love me, why did you walk away without telling me?"

She turned to him, and for the first time, saw the truth reflected in his blue gaze. "I never did tell you, did I? I wanted to, I really did, but... but I was scared. I was afraid you didn't feel the same way, and I wasn't going to put my heart out there to only have it be handed back to me in pieces. I'd already let you walk away once and didn't try to stop you; this time it was me walking away. I wasn't going to let you hurt me this time, so I left instead."

"And now?"

"What do you mean now?"

"What's so different between me and him, Jojo? Or has it never been me?"

"It's always been you, Zane; in every timeline, in _any_ timeline, it will always be you. It will _always_ be you- even if I get knocked into a timeline eighty years in the future, or a hundred years in the past, it will always be you. I will _always_ find my way back to you, because I love you. I've always loved you. Timelines don't change that. I know you don't believe in fate or a higher power, but I do, and I think we were written in the stars. I think we were destined to be from the very beginning. There is no timeline where we don't end up together; there is no me without you and no you without me. I was running away from the one person who held my heart, unable to realize that we're meant to be. I didn't understand, that no matter where I run, I can't escape what's destined for me- you. Doesn't matter what type of you; it's you. You were always meant for me, and I was always meant for you; my heart was always meant for you, just like yours was always meant for me, and I need to stop running and embrace it. I need to stop being scared; I understand that now."

He didn't say anything for several minutes, and Jo thought he'd left; but after a moment, he spoke up. "Then why haven't' you said anything?"

'What do you mean?"

As she pulled up to the station and parked, he said, "Why haven't you told me any of this?"

"I-" But she stopped, peering through the window to see Andy ripping something from the cell tower and her heart plummeted. She didn't have anything against Andy; as far as AI went, he was fairly friendly and helpful, but still... _why did it have to be robots?_ Of _all_ things? She glanced at Zane before unbuckling her seat-belt and getting out of the car, pulling out the small heat detector she kept in the glove compartment for such emergencies. She heard Zane follow behind her, and tried to keep from climbing back in the car and bolting. "Andy! What the _hell are you doing_?"

"Just getting the extra power cells a little more juice for the jug!"

She glanced at Zane. "You feelin' okay?"

"I feel terrific! And once I amp up the power to handle my new photonic processor, I'm gonna be the best deputy ever!"

She glanced down at the heat detector, starting at the numbers. "Andy, we need to get you checked out; your heat signature's through the roof." She took a deep breath, trying to remain calm "And you're putting the town at risk."

He turned away from the power station, a frown crossing his features for the briefest of moments; she could _feel_ the crackle of electricity in the air, and gratefully watched as he moved back through the hole towards her. She let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and smiled at him, tucking the heat detector back into her coat pocket and pulled her keys out, going back to her car. "Andy?" She turned back, grabbing the door handle to open the door and get in. She nodded towards the passenger side as he made his way over to her; Zane stayed close to her, watching him.

"Something's not right with him, Jo."

She ignored the hallucination, nodding for Andy to take the passenger side as he joined her. "Come on, I'll drive."

In that instant, something crossed Andy's face that made her blood run cold and her heart stall for the briefest of moments. "No can do, Mrs. Donovan. Gotta feed the old brainasaurus." And with that sinister smile still on his face, he laid his hand on the hood of her little blue car. "Power feels good!"

Her entire body went rigid as the shock worked its way through her body; it burst the tires on her car and shorted out the computer. She felt her hand tighten around the handle of her car door and try as she might she couldn't make herself let go, a talon clasping an un-moving prey, refusing to release its hold. She struggled to breathe- ever nerve, every muscle in her body was a live wire, a zipline sending down shock after shock to every part of her system. Her chest struggled to rise, her lungs pushed to absorb and convert; the valves of her heart forced themselves to keep sending blood to a heart that struggled to pump. Each beat was long, sluggish; minutes, hours appeared to pass by as it finally finished one beat before going onto the next.

The shocks raced up her spine, hitting the nerves like a piano, banging out a shaky rhythm, before coming up to hit the bass that was her brain. Her mind began to haze, thought after thought racing before her, FTL travel of everything she'd experienced across three timelines- images, memories, voices and sounds, blurring and dashing around her head, ducking into her brain before dashing out again and bouncing around her skull.

She gasped as her blood sluggishly moved through her veins, as it moved throughout her heart, before passing through the valves of her heart again to go out into her body. A whimper escaped her throat; maybe it was the strength of the shock, maybe the sheer force of the pain coursing through her body, but whatever reason, she found herself unable to do anything but whimper as she crumpled to her knees on the gravel road. Andy was long gone by now-

She was alone.

And if she didn't get help, she'd die alone.

With every ounce of willpower she still possessed, she struggled to release her grip on the door, to no avail. Her fingers were so curved around the handle, her grip so tight, that pulling her hand away would be next to impossible alone. But that same hand was also the one thing that was keeping the currant running through her. She could feel slight shocks darting out to spark against her wedding ring and the diamond of the engagement ring that had been Zane's grandmother's. It seemed that everything that was of any form of metal- from the earrings in her ears to the rings on her fingers to the zipper of her slacks- was acting as a conductor, running the currant through her body over and over again.

Though Andy was long gone, the electricity he'd sucked from the car, the shock he'd generated, still ran through the vehicle, coursing through Jo's veins and upsetting delicate functions of every kind. She struggled to swallow, struggled to feel her pulse beat against her throat- it was sluggish, a thin, slender strip of elastic, struggling to stretch enough to allow her thickened blood thru.

Her thoughts flashed to Zane- every Zane, from the one in her original timeline, to the Alternate timeline, to now. Oh, how she loved that man, regardless of timeline, regardless of actions; straight-laced or convicted felon, loving husband and attentive father, it didn't matter. Zane was Zane, and he'd held her heart for years. She wanted many more years with him, as many as life would allow her. She wanted children with him- not just the girls, but _more_ children, one of her own even- everything her counterpart had taken for granted, she revered and believed in. While she was touched that Zane was trying to figure out how she'd gotten here and how to send her back to her Alternate timeline, she now realized what she'd been denying for _weeks_.

She didn't want to go back.

She wanted to stay.

She was in love with Zane- this Zane- and in love with the girls, and the life he'd created and so willingly allowed her to slip into after arriving in this timeline and taking his wife's place.

She'd had a chance, years ago, to build a life with him, and she'd hesitated. She'd let him walk away hurt, leaving her broken-hearted, unable to accept her losing the man who held her heart. And now, in this new timeline to her alternate timeline, she had a second chance to have him, to have the family and the life she'd always wanted, with the man she'd always wanted.

She'd _finally_ found the place where she belonged, and now because of Ela's little experiment and Carter's increased IQ, it was all slipping away-

Her heart began to slow, finally realizing that resisting the welcoming arms of Death was futile, and it was better to give in and let death come for her than struggle to hold on until help arrived if help ever arrived. Her lungs burned as though being raked over mind-bendingly hot coals, her nerves snapped and sizzled, she could feel her blood as it evaporated like water in a hot kettle. Her muscles began to relax, slowly unwinding from their coiled positions, and slowly, so very, very slowly, she began to loosen her grip on the door.

Andy had done more damage than even the worst Afghan sniper or suicide bomber could. Each wiggle of her fingers ripped silent screams from her closing throat- she took a deep, painful breath as she flexed her hand- or tried to, her fingers refused to release the handle. As her heart finally began to stop, she choked out a gasp, her dark eyes moving skyward; she met Zane's gaze as he knelt beside her, wearing a look similar to what he'd worn when she'd left that day.

"I'm... sorry... I... _love you_... Zane..."

She collapsed, her heart pumping its last beat as sirens screamed in the distance, getting louder.


	43. Chapter 43

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I /think/ she has Jo's middle name as Catherine...

It hurt to breathe.

Every breath inhaled burned; her eyes fluttered open and she looked up to find herself the object of nearly everyone currently in the infirmary. Zane sat by her side, and she was reminded of a very similar situation where their roles were reversed; when he'd been electrocuted by the virus that had come off the Columbus, and she'd nearly lost him back in the original timeline. He had his face buried in his hands, elbows resting on his knees as he waited for her to wake up. Cate and Anna were sitting not far away from her small area of the infirmary, Ela cuddled between them, sobbing, clearly blaming herself for everything that had happened today; Jenna was with them trying to calm Ela down. Henry, Grace and Allison were there as well as Zoe and Kevin, all wearing identical looks filled with worry on their faces. Carter was nowhere to be found.

She took a shaky breath, and Zane's head snapped up, a look of relief rushing over his features. "Jo-"

But before he could do anything else, she spoke up, her voice hoarse. "Last thing I remember is telling Andy I'd give him a ride back to GD..." She swallowed, which hurt to do. "Then... then _Boom!_ I hit the ground seein' fireworks." The faintest of smiles tugged at Zane's lips. She turned to Allison and Grace as Zane reached out to take her hand. "What happened?"

"I _nearly lost you_ is what happened," Zane breathed, voice shaky as she turned back to him. Tears glistened in his blue gaze; something that always made her think of a hint of rain on the horizon. He swallowed thickly against the tears in his throat, bringing her hand to his lips. "Don't you _ever_ do that to me again, Josephina Catherine. _You hear me?_ I can't lose you; I _just got you back_."

He stood, going to her and leaning down to brush a kiss to her forehead; her eyes closed and she reached up to brush her fingers against his cheek. "I'm sorry-" She breathed; he nuzzled against her forehead, brushing a kiss to her hairline with a sniffle as the others turned away, giving them as much privacy as they could in the moment. "Love you, Zane." Her dark gaze fluttered open and she met his, swallowing against the cotton-ness of her throat. " _I love you_."

It was so subtle, so soft, a tender declaration made in a tender moment between a couple who had spent the last few months dancing around each other in every way. Whispered declarations of love during sex didn't hold the same weight as soft admittances breathed now when one of their pair had looked Death in the face and managed to get away. Emotions now laid bare, he reciprocated it, breaking down the last barrier she'd put up since coming to this new timeline; handing her his heart in the process and promising to keep hers as safe as she kept his. "I love you, too."

Standing on the other side of the bed, Zane shook his head softly. "About damned time, Jojo." Had Jo looked up at that moment, she'd have seen him fade away, and possibly put together that her admitting that she was in love with _this_ Zane had brought about the closure with her previous timeline she desperately needed.

She smiled softly, accepting the tender kiss he gave her as their fingers slid together, before he broke the kiss and rested his forehead to hers briefly; he returned his lips to her forehead and she felt her breath catch, squeezing his fingers lightly. Henry softly cleared his throat, drawing the couple's attention from each other and Zane returned to his seat as Ela finally stopped crying and Jenna brought the girls back to join the adults. "Mama!"

Without another word, the child pulled away from her sisters and climbed onto the bed, stopping by Jo's side; her features crumbled and she burst into fresh tears. _"I'm sorry, Mama!"_

Silently, Jo gathered the ten-year-old to her, holding the girl to her side and against her chest, arms wrapped around her as she sobbed. She brushed a kiss to the child's forehead, humming softly as she stroked her back. The sight of Jo cuddling Ela close tugged at everyone, and they quickly began to realize that _this_ was what had been missing-

Despite the two years between each of the girls, they were still young, they still needed a mother's tender touch and loving reassurances; things _she_ hadn't been willing or able to give. But Jo could and did willingly, because she loved the girls just as she loved Zane. Jo's unwilling arrival in this timeline had been what Zane, his girls, and even to a lesser extent, the town, needed to heal from the implosion of his marriage. Laying her head back against the pillows, Ela still held against her chest, Jo turned to Anna and Cate; Anna climbed up to curl into Jo's other side and Cate climbed into her father's lap. As Jo pulled the two youngest girls into her arms, she asked, "How did-"

"Uncle Henry came and got us. He said there'd been an accident." Anna swallowed thickly as Cate spoke, laying her head on Jo's chest and snuggling as close as she could, as the older woman's other arm came to rest around her, holding her close.

"You scared us, Mama." Anna whispered, picking at the fabric of the standard hospital uniform Jo wore.

"I'm sorry, babies. I didn't mean to." She brushed a kiss to each head of black hair as Grace spoke up.

"You're lucky we got to you in time, Jo. Your heart had stopped, but you were still convulsing; any later and we wouldn't have been able to bring you back. I've got a team working on an antidote to help counteract the seizures-"

"Seizures?"

Grace sighed, glancing at her husband; Henry spoke up. "Because the car was acting as a conductor, it was continuously pumping current through your body until your heart stopped; that strong a current built up a lot of energy, and that energy has to be released in some way- in this case, seizures," Jo glanced at Zane before turning her gaze back to Henry, "They were extremely violent, and your electroencephalogram is still off the charts. After we brought you back we were able to dissipate your internal voltage spike using the nodes at your temples and luckily, it doesn't look like there's any brain damage-"

Jo glanced between the others. "So can I go back to work?"

Zane snorted softly, tightening his hold on Cate as she snuggled into his arms, sniffling. Allison glanced at Henry before going to the younger woman. "We're gonna have to keep you here for a little longer, Jo."

"But-"

"We're suppressing your neuro-electrical activity, but," Henry sighed. "Because of the amount of electricity you were _subjected_ to, there's another electrical wave building."

"Wave, like a seizure?" Cate asked.

"They're secluded to me, right?" Jo asked, pulling Anna and Ela closer as Allison nodded. The last thing she wanted was a repeat of the virus that had nearly cost her Zane in the original timeline.

"Only you, Jo." Allison reassured her. "Electrical currents can't move between people."

Jo snorted softly, brushing a kiss to Ela's forehead and then reaching up to stroke her fingers against the girl's cheek, before kissing Anna's head. _Oh, Allison, you have no idea how wrong you are._ Turning her attention back to the matter at hand, she asked, "Where are we on finding Andy?"

"We're working on it," Everyone turned as Rowley came into the infirmary, Blythe in tow. "But it's hard, because we don't really _know_ what we're looking for other than a power-hungry AI. I've got Hertz running algorithms to hopefully narrow down where he could be."

"We don't even know how he ended up on this power surge in the first place-" The former deputy spoke up, joining Rowley at the end of Jo's bed.

"Actually, we do." Zane replied, and Rowley narrowed her gaze as Blythe rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Of _course_ , this has Section Five written _all over it_. Is there _ever_ a time when you're _not_ causing _some_ sort of trouble, _Donovan_?" Zane narrowed his gaze at Jo's second-in-command. "I _still_ say you're a glutton for punishment, Josie." Both Blythe and Jo snorted, but silently agreed, knowing it was true; after all, only Jo would try for the Rangers instead of one of the other military branches simply under the pretext of, _'why should the boys have all the fun?_ '

"It wasn't me!" Zane bit, and the three friends rolled their eyes as Ela spoke up from her place curled against Jo's chest.

"I made Uncle Jack smarter." She whispered, and the two women turned surprised gazes to the ten-year-old snuggled against her mother's chest.

 _"You?"_ Blythe asked, refusing to believe it. Ela Donovan was as smart as her sisters, but she was a child; it was as of yet unclear whether she'd follow her mother's love of law and order or her father's love of pushing limits breaking boundaries.

"She slipped him a smart mickey." Jo told them, and the other women nodded.

"Well you were partially right, Gwen," Blythe said. "It was _a_ Donovan, just not the usual suspect." Zane rolled his eyes, but kept quiet. "That still doesn't help us figure out what he's looking for-"

"I can help with that." Caitlan Hertz came dashing into the infirmary holding a data pad; she quickly explained what they'd been able to figure in regards to the pattern that Andy was following, and upon hearing that Andy was looking for another power source- and most likely headed to Carter's bunker- Jo gently shifted the girls out from under her and tugged the blankets off her legs. Everyone was instantly gathered at the bed to stop her; Cate had climbed off her father's lap and stepped back as the adults rushed to her.

"Whoa, Josie, where're you going?" Gwen asked, reaching out to stop take her arm, but the Security Director waved her away.

"I'm the Director of Security-"

"But this isn't a GD matter-" Caitlan spoke up, as Jo swung her legs over the side of the bed and scooted to the edge.

"He's a prototype for robotic law enforcement, Cait, developed at GD; therefore, that makes him GD property-" She didn't even get to finish her statement as the other three women on her team began to dispute her, more for her weak state than anything else. They _knew_ Jo, had grown up with her, knew her better than even Zane, and knew when she was pushing her limit- and she was damned close to pushing her limit. Having had enough, she stuck her thumb and index finger between her lips and blew; a sharp, piercing whistle cut through the chatter and everyone turned to her as she spoke, her voice calmer now. "Deputy Andy is a _prototype_ developed at GD; anything involved GD technology _immediately_ falls under _my_ jurisdiction-"

"But _Josie_ -"

"Of the _four of us_ , I have the highest rank, not just in regards to GD security, but _military_ , and therefore, as the highest serving officer, my word is law." Everyone watched as all three of the women stood rail straight in parade rest as she spoke, their military training kicking in; Hertz slowly tucked her arms behind her back, data pad still in her hands. "You follow _my_ word or _none at all_ , and if you _choose_ not to follow, I _will_ cite _each_ of you for insubordination pending review of your actions. _I_ am the one who makes or breaks careers at this God-forsaken facility- not Director Deacon, not Doctor Monroe, not Doctor Blake, and not Doctor Donovan. _Me._ I chose each of you to be on my team; I can _just as easily_ send you all on your way. Do I make myself clear _?_ " The three shared glances before turning back to Jo with mutters of agreement. " _Do I make myself clear_ , _ladies?_ "

"Yes, General."

A moment passed, before Jo nodded, satisfied, before she continued barking orders. Once the girls were scattered to their respective areas, she took a deep breath, pressing against the mattress beneath her to stand-

"No! Jo, no!"

She stood, but not for long. The seizure had left her weak, leaving next to no strength in her legs. She didn't even get a chance to take a step when they gave out. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, babe." Zane's strong arms and quick thinking kept her from hitting the ground as he grabbed her around the waist, catching her with ease. She looked up; finding their faces mere inches apart. "I gotcha, Jojo, I'm not letting you hit the ground." She sighed, as he helped her sit back on the edge of the bed. "Babe, you can barely stand."

"I need to help; please, Zane, let me-" He shook his head, reaching up to brush a strand of hair off her forehead.

"No."

"But-"

"Jo, you just survived a near fatal _electrocution_. You need to _stay here_ , and rest." He reached up, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "That means get better, okay?" He moved his hands down to her waist. "For us and the girls. Please." She sighed, reluctantly letting him help her back into bed. Once settled back against the pillows, Ela and Anna returned to their places curled into Jo's sides, cuddled against her chest; she held them close, closing her eyes and releasing a slow breath, reminding herself that Zane was right.

"Once we have the antidote ready, it should be able to counteract and stop the seizures and you should be fine, Jo," Grace told her, going to her friend and squeezing her hand. "You gonna come help us finish the antidote for Carter, Ela? We can't do it without you." The girl looked from Grace to Jo and back, torn between staying with her mother and helping her aunt. Grace, noting the indecision, merely smiled at the youngest girl. "Don't worry, El, we won't do anything without you. How about you stay with your mom for a while? I'll come get you in an hour or two and we can finish it then, okay?" The child nodded, returning her head to Jo's chest. Then, with one last glance at the others, Grace was gone, heading back to her lab.

Slowly, the others returned to what they were doing; Kevin, Zoe and Jenna all hugged Jo close and promised to be back before leaving, until only Zane and the girls remained; Allison had returned to her desk to look over Jo's scans and double check a couple things, giving the family privacy. Cate perched on the edge of the bed, but kept herself curled into her father's side, and Zane rubbed her back as he stood watching his girls.

The sight of Jo with Ela and Anna curled into her arms tugged at his heart, and reminded him of the first few years of their marriage, not long after Anna had been born- when the girls would curl into her mother's arms at every opportunity. She had seemed fine in regards to Cate and Anna, had appeared to accept her life as the mother of two rambunctious little girls, but the strain had been there. She had loved them because she had to, because she was their mother, not because she wanted to. _"A mother's love is twofold- a mother has to love her children because they're part of her, they come from her, but she has to also want to love her children; need and want are two entirely different desires. The_ want _to love her children comes from watching them grow into the beautiful people they will become; the_ need _to love them comes from the moment of their conception."_ As his grandmother had often said, and in this moment, he could see that it was true.

Zane brushed a kiss to Cate's head; Jo met his gaze, exhaustion written clearly on her face. A moment passed, before he glanced at each of his daughters. "All right, come on, pups, we need to let Mama rest so she can get better and come home, so she won't have to spend the night in Auntie Allie's infirmary," He grinned as Allison joined them and the good doctor chuckled. "Sorry Allison, it's a very nice infirmary, but I would just really like to have my wife home in bed with me tonight."

"No worries, Zane."

"God, I hate the infirmary," Jo muttered, turning to Allison. "Sorry, Al."

Allison waved it away and turned to the girls. "So, I heard that there's chocolate chip cookies in the cafeteria," Anna perked up slightly, and Ela even looked interested, even though she didn't lift her head from Jo's chest. "how about you go get a few and bring a couple back for Mama?" The girls shared glances before getting up; Zane glanced at Allison with a small smile before going to Jo and kissing her softly.

"I'm gonna go get a cup of coffee; you _stay_ here," He stopped next to Allison, whispering loud enough so only she could hear, "you have my permission to handcuff her to the bed if she tries to get up." Allison chuckled, but nodded in agreement and then he was gone.

Once they were alone, she took the chair next to Jo's bed with a sigh. She could see her hallucination standing on the other side of the bed arms crossed over her chest. Jo turned to her. "What's going on, Allison?"

The older woman sighed, reaching out and taking her friend's hand; she glanced across the bed at Jo, who gave her a look that clearly screamed to get on with it. "I need to apologize to you."

"Um... okay... why?"

Allison glanced at Jo. "Because I've been taking my anger out on you."


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: To answer the question of what happened to at least one Jo and where she went...

Jo furrowed a brow, unsure of what Allison was saying; she hadn't noticed anything that Allison needed to apologize for, though Jo had been dealing with her own thing so she hadn't really been paying attention to Allison. "Allison? What are you talkin' about?"

The older woman sighed, glancing across the bed; she watched them, hands on her hips. "What's a'matter, Al, suddenly too chicken to say anything? Can't 'fess up to your own shortcomings? Guess it's just easier to call others out on theirs, isn't it?"

"The days you- _she_ \- left, we had a fight."

"Okay; so you had a fight... I still don't understand-"

"You know she was having an affair with Evan Cross, right?"

"I've gathered." Jo quipped, biting her lip. "Allison, what's going on?"

"Her decision to go up to Vancouver wasn't a spur-of-the-moment thing like everyone says. She'd been planning it for months- three months, to be exact," She glanced across the bed; the look on her friend's face only intensified her guilt.

"Go on; tell her _exactly_ what happened, Al."

"Al?" She turned back to the younger woman; her voice was soft, laced with concern and not a hint of the anger she'd been dealing with for the last few hours. Tears began to gather in her eyes, and she took a shaky breath, muttering something no one could catch.

"I'm sorry? I didn't quite catch that," Jo leaned towards her, bangles clicking together as she reached up and cupped her hand around her ear. "Say it a little louder, Al."

"I... I cost her her child."

"I'm sorry, what about a child? Oh, right," Jo straightened, a look of anger flashing over her features as she watched her friend from across the bed. "That child. _My_ child."

"Allison, I... I don't understand-"

"Jo, she was pregnant." She watched the younger woman's gaze widened and her mouth drop in shock.

"But- but I'm not!"

"She wouldn't be anyway, regardless," Jo replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "even if I hadn't lost it."

It took a few moments before the Security Director was able to get her thoughts in order. "Allison, what happened?" As an afterthought she asked, "Was it... Zane's?"

Jo snorted. "God, no. I stopped letting him touch me after Eleanora was born." She shivered, a look of disgust crossing her features.

"No. It was Evan Cross's." She caught the flash of relief that crossed the younger woman's face. "It had been going on for years, but no one said anything because it wasn't their business."

"An open secret." Allison nodded at Jo's conclusion. "Did she try to pass it off as Zane's?"

"He knew very well it wasn't his. He's a fucking genius, he can do the math." Jo muttered with a toss of her head, ponytail swinging.

"So... the day she left?"

Allison took a deep breath, glancing at the hallucination before turning back to the younger woman.

 _"Jo_ , _what about the baby?"_

 _"It's not Zane's baby_ , _Al! He doesn't need to worry about it! It's mine and Evan's_ , _and we're going to be a family."_

 _"So you're just going to up and leave Zane with the girls_ , _while you gallivant up to Vancouver and start another family with Evan Cross? Jo_ , _that's not fair! To Evan_ , _Zane_ , _or the girls!"_

 _"It doesn't matter anymore! Zane and I aren't together anymore! I gave him full custody of the girls_ , _signed the divorce papers and now all he has to do sign them_ , _and we can part ways_ , _and then Evan and I can start our life and our family and-"_

 _"_ You said _you didn't want children_ , _Jo! Or was it that you just didn't want children with_ Zane _?"_

_She paused. "I love Zane."_

_"But not enough to stay and make your marriage work. Not enough to stay and raise your children together. Not enough to break off an affair that's been going on for years! God, Jo! What the hell is wrong with you?"_

_"Nothing! Nothing is wrong with me! I just realize that what I thought I wanted for years, I don't! Is that such a bad thing, to realize that I've been trapped in a loveless marriage for the last sixteen years and want better for myself? Tell me, Al, is that really so wrong?"_

_"It wasn't loveless, not on Zane's end; though clearly it was on yours."_

_"You don't understand, Al-"_

_"Then explain it to me, Jo!"_

_"I don't belong here!"_

_"Of course you do-"_

_"No!" She let out a screech of annoyance, storming past the good doctor._

_"Jo," Allison grabbed her arm. "Talk to me, please. You're my best friend, you can tell me anything-"_

_"Anything?" Allison nodded. "Fine," She took a deep breath. "This isn't my Eureka."_

Allison waited, watching the younger woman as she digested the news; the surprise on her face had turned to shock, and shock to horror as something seemed to dawn on her. "She wasn't from here... she was like me..." Allison nodded, glancing towards the hallucination. "But... _how_ -"

"Simple." Jo replied, watching the two women close as she began to pace. "I answered my phone."

"She said that... that around Founder's Day in her timeline... someone had turned the Einstein-Grant Bridge Device on and-" She stopped.

 _"I don't understand Jo; how can you be from another timeline? Time travel is simply theory_ , _it's not possible-"_

 _"Oh_ , _it's very possible_ , _Allison. You just think it's not possible because you've never done it."_

_"But- how-"_

_"You know the Einstein-Grant Bridge Device that sits rusting in the museum?" A nod. "Well_ , _in my timeline_ , _they bring it out on Founder's Day every year- like the vintage cars and old costumes and other relics from Eureka's history_ , _" She sighed. "And some egghead turned it on."_

_"Then how did you-"_

_She took a deep breath. "I went to answer a phone call from my husband_ , _and next thing I know_ , _I'm here in this timeline with_ no idea _of how I got here."_

_'Your husband?"_

_"Evan."_

Jo shook her head. "No, that's not right. Ev was married to Brooke; she was killed by a dinosaur that came through an anomaly in Vancouver right after we'd started up Cross Photonics. I was _there_ the day she died-"

"Not in my timeline." She muttered, meeting Allison's gaze across the bed. "Brooke died when we were in college; she and Evan had gone down to Vegas and eloped after a night of drinking. They were only married a couple years before she was killed. By the time Cross Photonics got off the ground, Evan and I had been together for... years, but we were only married about three years by the time I transferred to Eureka. Evan stayed up in Vancouver with Maggie."

_"I don't understand, Jo. Who's Maggie?"_

_"Maggie is Margaret. My daughter."_

"She had another daughter." Allison nodded.

"Yeah, she did."

Silence settled between them before Jo asked, "What happened to her?"

Allison glanced towards the hallucination, who quickly blinked the tears from her eyes. "She died."

_"How?"_

_"How do you think_ , _Al? Wrong place_ , _wrong time_ , _wrong wormhole..." She swallowed. "I took the job in Eureka because I needed time away; we took a break_ , _but that doesn't mean I stopped loving Evan. By the time the Bridge Device had been turned on in my timeline_ , _Ev and I had gotten back to a good place; I was planning on handing in my resignation and returning to Vancouver... and then that fucking Bridge Device was turned on and I end up here. My daughter was dead and my marriage was gone and... I had to make due_ , _so I got involved with Zane. I shouldn't have_ , _but... and then I ran into Evan in Portland one afternoon and... it was like nothing had changed; we reconnected. Sure_ , _we weren't married_ , _but our spark was still there... and Maggie was_ alive _... we'd had her before I got the job at GD..."_

_Pain flashed across her face. "And then I got the call from Evan that Maggie had died in the same way, in the same place... but Zane and I were married and we had Cate and Anna by then... and my world came crashing down all over again."_

"So... Ela..." Jo asked, shifting against the pillows of the infirmary bed.

"She was born on the day Maggie _died_ -" Allison swallowed thickly, watching as her friend's hallucination broke down; how the burden of carrying such a secret had affected the other woman so, and how Allison hadn't known nor cared to know... and had instead turned on her when she'd left. "I couldn't _look_ at that child without seeing Maggie... and as she got older, it got worse. Ela is what Maggie would have been like had she lived."

 _"You don't understand_ , _Allison. This baby_ , _this divorce_ , _this relationship with Evan... I have a chance to get my family back. To protect my child when I couldn't protect Maggie."_

 _"What about the girls? They're your daughters too_ , _Jo! Just because Zane is their father doesn't change the fact that they're your children!"_

 _"No_ , _Allison! Don't you get it? I was ripped from_ my _timeline_ , _from my husband_ , _and I lost my daughter! This is the universe's way of making it right! This divorce_ , _the 'affair_ ,' _this baby- Al_ , _the universe is giving me another chance to have what I lost! I'm not going to throw it away because I made a mistake and married the wrong man! I"m sorry_ , _but I can't stay here; I won't_. _I'm going back to Vancouver and_... _and Evan and I are going to_ have _this baby_ , _and we're going to move on with our lives_ , _and the universe will right itself again and everything will be as it_ should _be_. _"_

"Did she ever say what timeline she was from?"

Allison sighed, taking a moment to think. "All she said was that she was the Security Director under Douglas Fargo, and that Zane was a pain in her ass that she was hoping would do something bad enough that she could ship his ass back to Federal-" She stopped at the look on the younger woman's face. "What is it?"

Swallowing against the lump in her throat, Jo whispered, "I think I know what timeline she was from." She met Allison's gaze, and Allison noticed how Jo moved to pay closer attention to her counterpart now. "I... I think she was from the timeline _I_ ended up in... I think _my_ Alternate timeline was _her_ original timeline."

Jo's gaze widened as she watched the two women; something seemed to click for the hallucination and she turned to the younger woman. _"She took my place?"_ Allison met her gaze and she choked out a sob. "So... if _she_ took my place and _I_ ended up _here_ then..." But Allison realized that the Security Director had come to the same conclusion and sighed.

"So none of you are in the proper timelines."

"I don't even know if my original timeline still exists, Al." Jo whispered. "For all I know, my original timeline could be gone completely, especially now, and just when I'd adapted to my Alternate timeline, I get shoved here-" She shrugged, falling silent.

"You're doing good here, Jo." Allison told her, taking her hand. "Zane and the girls love you. Don't doubt that." She nodded, but something nagged at her.

"Allison, I don't understand something. How did you cost her her child?"

Allison swallowed, meeting her eyes. "She miscarried when she got to Vancouver; I called to make sure she was okay and she-"

"Blamed you." Allison nodded.

 _"No! You don't get to tell me you're sorry_ , _Allison! You don't get to use that word! You don't know what it means to lose a child_ , _because you've never lost one! You've never miscarried! So you lost Nathan- you had Jenna! You got to have your child! I lost mine! I lost both of them! Half-hearted 'I'm sorry's to assuage your unwanted guilt mean nothing! Don't you tell me that you understand what I've lost when you've never been in my shoes_ , _Allison Blake!"_

"She hung up on me and I never heard from her again." She met Jo's gaze, seeing the tears in her eyes.

"Al, it wasn't your fault. You didn't cost her her child; it happens. She blamed you for something out of her control-"

"I know, I just-" She stopped, taking a deep breath, glancing at Jo, who held her gaze. "I never got to tell her that I was sorry for everything she'd gone through, for everything she'd endured, for losing her daughter... I tried apologizing when she lost the baby, but she didn't want to hear it." She met Jo's gaze, tears slipping down her cheeks. "When Zane told me she was coming home, I figured it was my chance to truly apologize, but-"

"I ended up here instead." Allison nodded.

"I never meant to discredit any of her losses or any of her pain. I never meant to make light of her loss by comparing my losing Nathan to her losing her daughter; that was never my intention. I simply wanted her to know that she wasn't alone, so she wouldn't have to deal with that pain by herself. And if I said anything that sounded insensitive, it wasn't my intention at all. I only wanted her to be happy; because she deserved it so much after everything she'd lost. I never wanted anything else for her other than that, because she's my best friend and I love her. And I'm so, so sorry she went through that."

A small smile tugged at Jo's lips and she nodded before fading from sight. _"Thank you, Al."_


	45. Chapter 45

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So a note on the girls' ages- they turn ten, twelve and fourteen in 2022- and so everyone automatically refers to those as their ages

_One Month Later_

Autumn had come to Eureka with the changing foliage and the chill in the air; sweaters and boots were brought out and pumpkins began to pop up on every porch. Halloween candy was bought in bulk and costumes created; horror movies once more became the marathon of choice and apple cider and pumpkin spice competed for the top spot at Cafe Diem. GD worked on planning its annual Halloween party and decorations were brought out of storage. Every Eurekian prepared for the scariest night of the year; those of the Catholic faith prepared for _Dia de los Muertos_ , and those of scientific faith kept their mouths shut for the sake of everyone. And at Forty-Twenty Coriolis Loop, where science and faith had been married these last near sixteen years, they were taking a break from the chaos of the fall season and what had become a near constant argument between their oldest daughter and her father in regards to a party for her fourteenth birthday.

"Oh, no you don't! Get back here!"

The spacious backyard was littered in splashes of orange, yellow, red and brown, the trees bare and exposed. The old wooden swing that hung from the large tree in the back corner of the yard swayed gently back and forth in the breeze, as a pair of feet kicked up leaves as they dashed through the yard. Despite the small stature of the house- Zane had admitted quite proudly to Jo that it was, indeed, a TARDIS house- the backyard was spacious, the wooden fence high enough to keep the neighbors from truly bothering them- not that the neighbors did, but still, it was the principle. In one corner of the yard was what appeared to be a small shed- actually a studio to develop photography that Zane had had installed not long after he and Jo had married. The rest of the yard was grass that kissed the steps of the spacious back porch.

As far as houses go, the property value of Forty-Twenty would have been astronomical in an exceptional housing market outside of Eureka. It was small, _hardly_ befitting the _Director_ of Section Five- especially since all who worked in Section Five made _more_ than enough yearly to afford every house on the _block_ \- but it was home to Zane and he couldn't imagine living anywhere else. Sure, the houses were grand and beautiful and spacious, but they lacked the homey, comforting, tightly-knit feel of Coriolis Loop; the home that made up the block of Los Altos lacked the quiet comfort and loving familiarity of the TARDIS house on Coriolis. It was _why_ Zane had turned down an offer to move to Los Altos two years _after_ being promoted to Section Five Director- his daughter may have been conceived at the cabin fifty miles outside of Eureka, but she'd grown and been born in the house on Coriolis Loop; it was Cate's home as much as it was her parents', and Zane would not take her from that familiar comfort. And as their family had grown, Forty-Twenty had grown with it; each girl meant a new room added to the large interior- the closeness of the rooms was part of what made the house so _perfect_. And Jo, now having spent nearly six months in this new timeline, took comfort in the familiarity of what had once been _her_ house in the Alternate, turned into a home.

Zane chased after her; she let out a shriek, tumbling back into Zane's arms as they wrapped around her waist. With a squeal, the pair tumbled back into the pile of leaves that had built up in the middle of the backyard. "Oh, god!" It took a moment for them both to catch their breath, and once she did, Jo shifted until she was facing him. His hands rested against her hips, and she reached up, tugging strands of hair from her mouth. "You're heavy, you know that?"

" _Watch_ what you _say_ , _Dr. Donovan_." She tapped his nose with a manicured nail, and he chuckled.

"Or? What _exactly_ do you plan on doing to me, _Dr._ Lupo?" He asked, reaching up and cradling her head in his hand. She giggled, reaching up to remove a leaf from his hair.

"You know, you're the first person to _ever_ call me that- _Doctor_." She clarified at his furrowed brow. "No one besides you, Evan and my family know that I have a PhD. And even if they _did_ , most wouldn't care. Degree or not, I'm still nothing more than a grunt with a gun to everyone in Eureka."

"No you're not, Jo." She met his gaze as he gently brushed his thumb against her cheek. "You're so much more than that." Their lips met in a soft kiss, and he drank her in, slowly pulling away and resting his forehead to hers. "I love you, Jojo." She whispered it back as he settled back among the pile of leaves, tucking his arm beneath his head; his other arm was still slung around her waist, fingers tracing light patterns on her hip. He sighed softly.

A moment passed before she settled herself, resting her head on her arms as she folded them on his chest. He free arm shifted, and he reached up, stroking his fingers up and down her back. She sighed relaxing. "This is nice." She nodded, feeling his sigh rumble softly through his chest. " _This_ is what I missed," She lifted her head to meet his gaze. "with her."

"The intimacy?"

He nodded. "How a simple touch could be so... calming. Over time... it got to the point where she would barely let me touch her... when the relationship first began... we were always touching, but... I guess it was... after Cate that she really started to pull away. At first I thought it was because of the baby, but... but even before Anna and Ela came along..." He met her gaze as she shifted to rest her chin against her arms. "There were nights after the girls were born when I _craved_ the intimacy, but she never-"

Jo winced, knowing the reason behind her counterpart's coldness, but keeping quiet for Zane's sake; in the weeks since Ela's experiment had come to light, she and Allison had met for lunch every week, quietly discussing this new revelation and what was the best course of action to let Zane know what had _really_ gone on. Both agreed that for the time being, silence was golden and ignorance was bliss. "I'm amazed you didn't stray."

He shook his head, fingers stroking lazily up and down her back. "What would be the point, except breaking up my marriage even more?" He sighed, pausing briefly as he gathered his thoughts. "No, that would just cause the girls even more pain. They were my priority. Even when I wasn't doing any good as a father, they were my priority. They will always be my first priority."

"You're a _good_ father, Zane."

He met her gaze, narrowing his own in that way he had when he was told something he didn't fully believe without more evidence. "Yeah?"

She smiled softly. "Yeah."

They shifted closer until their lips met; the kiss, soft at first, soon turned deep as he reached up and tangled his hand in her hair, his other hand slipping underneath her sweater to caress the soft skin of her back. She tangled her hands in the cotton of his shirt, tugging him close as they shifted until she was on her back in the leaves with him on top of her...

She slipped her hands beneath the layers he wore, fingers splaying over the hard muscles of his stomach and abs before moving down to tease along the hem of his jeans before moving lower. She brushed her fingers against him, rubbing gently and eliciting a soft groan from him; she grinned, proud of herself that she could turn him on with a mere touch. Nimble fingers soon found and worked the buckle of his belt free, and he reached down, catching her hand before she could pop the button on his jeans and get any further. _"Don't... you... dare..."_ He scolded teasingly, breaking the kiss to meet her gaze. She made a face, annoyed to have been caught, and he smirked, pecking her tenderly.

"Not fair, Zane Matthew," She pouted, hooking a leg around his and forcing them to swap places; back among the leaves, Zane slid his hands slowly up her thighs towards her waist before grasping her hips gently. "I want to have a little fun."

He chuckled softly, reaching up to pluck a leaf from the wavy curls that tumbled down her back. "I would _love_ to have a little fun, Jojo, just not in view of the Harringtons or their kids." He jerked his head to the house on the left of theirs; Jo rolled her eyes.

" _Please_ , if Jane and Jason weren't so wrapped up in their own _gluttonous drama_ of a _marriage_ , and had actually _bothered_ to _pay attention_ to their kids as opposed to just giving them whatever they wanted to appease them, then Megan wouldn't be the entitled little bitch she is- and then _maybe_ the other students at Tesla would _like_ her instead of fearing her, and _maybe_ she'd actually have more than two friends in the whole school and _wouldn't_ get her enjoyment from bullying our Catie."

Jo hadn't taken kindly to finding out that their neighbor's only daughter had targeted Cate simply because the girl had stood up to her in class the week before; though Cate wouldn't tell them what exactly had happened, she'd inferred enough that AIDA had had to force field the Security Director to keep her from storming next door and having it out with the two selfish scientists.

The one exception to the entitlement rule was the Harringtons' oldest son- Jason Walker, though most just called him Walker- and Megan's twin brother; he'd started a small business mowing lawns when he was ten, and everyone on Coriolis knew the boy as hardworking, studious and kind- the exact opposite of his sister and parents; his younger brother William was following him, having started a paper route the year before. It probably also didn't help matters that Cate had a tiny crush on Walker, who reciprocated it- Anna had spilled the beans to Jo one night when they were cleaning the guns in the gun cabinet- and the Security Director had immediately put two and two together.

Not only was Megan spoiled and entitled because of her parents, but her brother had a crush on the oldest of the Donovan daughters- the daughter of the rule breaker and the rule enforcer, as many in Eureka had coined the Donovan marriage. Walker's small crush on Cate and Cate's mutual feelings meant more ire for the boy's sister, which put a target on Cate's back. Jo hadn't said a word to Zane about it; she was waiting for the right moment to let her husband know that his precious baby girl was growing up and starting to take an interest in boys, but that right moment was _not today_.

"They're children, Jojo, it happens." He slid his hands up her sides and back down before moving down to her thighs in a slow, leisurely caress. He loved the way this particular pair hugged her curves, and wasn't too afraid to admit that the sight of her straddling his waist, her slightly over-sized sweater hanging off one shoulder, the sleeves hiding her hands while she studied her nails as she spoke turned him on greatly, but the _last_ thing he was going to do was take her in the pile of leaves they were in- and it wasn't just because of the threat of indecent exposure.

"It doesn't _just happen,_ Zane; children are cruel, vindictive little creatures-" She stopped as he raised an eyebrow and cleared his throat. "Not _our_ children, but most children." He resumed running his hands over her thighs and hips, only half listening to her rant. She shifted, brushing back against him and he inhaled sharply; a wicked grin tugged at her lips, her rant about the Harringtons forgotten in favor of more... _adult_ endeavors. "Why Doctor Donovan, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were interested in starting something." She leaned down to brush a tantalizing kiss to his lips before pulling away and climbing to her feet. She grabbed his hands, tugging him with her; she tugged a little too hard and he stumbled, catching himself as her arms went to steady him.

Gazes locked, he leaned down, kissing her deeply before nuzzling against her cheek. "I'm very, very interested in starting something, Doctor Lupo," The fact that she had a PhD under her maiden name still surprised him- probably because he was so used to hearing everyone call her 'Donovan', but he also loved that she had something that was unique to her and not tied to him or their marriage. "However," He pulled away to meet her gaze. "I was _hoping_ to start something with my _wife_. I was wondering if you've seen her recently?"

"I'm not sure I have," She replied, suddenly coy. "Can I get a basic description of her?"

He cocked his head thinking. "Well, she's about your height, with long black hair and soft olive skin, and the deepest chocolate eyes I've ever seen." She raised an eyebrow as he scooped her up, until she was just slightly above him. She shook her head.

"No, sorry, haven't seen her."

He nodded, feigning disappointed acceptance before trying a new tactic. "How about this then? She's small but scrappy; bit of a gun nut."

"Now that you say that, it rings a bell- I _might_ have seen her." She grinned. "Any other clues?"

"Just one- every time I kiss her there are sparks."

"Sparks?" He nodded, capturing her mouth with his. They drank deeply from each other for several minutes before he pulled away. "Any sparks?"

She shook her head, biting her lip quickly with a frown. "No." He rolled his eyes playfully and pulled away with a chuckle as she giggled, tangling a hand in his hair and he set her back on her feet. "Just the good kind."

Then she pulled away, rushing across the grass and up the porch steps with a laugh. With a chuckle and a shake of the head, he followed, chasing her through the lower floor of the house and up the stairs, catching her just as she reached their bedroom door. Scooping her up he threw her over his shoulder and carried her into their bedroom, closing and locking the door behind them. Jo let out a squeal as he dropped her on the bed and moved to straddle her waist, tossing the light jacket he wore aside as he proceeded to kiss his wife senseless. She undid the buckle of his belt and popped the button on his jeans; his hands worked the sweater she wore up her body in the process. One of the features of this particular AI he liked, was that the walls of their room had noise barriers that could be activated by voice, if needed-

"AIDA, soundproofing, please." He tossed her sweater aside and kissed her deeply before moving to work on undoing her own jeans; his long, slender fingers slipping into them and finding the bud between her legs through the light fabric of the sea green underwear she wore- which matched the bra that barely encased her heaving breasts.

"Zane!"

_"Shall I partially soundproof the room or-"_

"Full soundproofing, AIDA, please." He replied, turning a wicked grin on Jo. "Mrs. Donovan and I intend to have a _lot_ of fun."


	46. Chapter 46

He sighed; running the calculations again for the fifth time.

The house was relatively quiet; Cate was downstairs in the studio, Anna and Ela were playing in the backyard, and Jo was stretched out on the sofa in the living room, engrossed in a book. He glanced at the calendar on his laptop.

October fourth.

In ten days, his oldest daughter would _officially_ turn fourteen, and he would be forced to watch another birthday pass as she blew out fifteen candles on her cake- whoever thought of the 'one to grow on' deserved to be beat with a meat tenderizer- and accepted gifts and congratulations and reveled in turning another year older. She would dress up in something pretty, do her makeup and hair, and blush when she would be called beautiful. She would dance with her friends and giggle at the boys that would be there and generally enjoy herself as any birthday girl would.

And then, when they came home, she would scrub the makeup from her face and change out of her party dress into her pajamas, and come bounding down the stairs, asking to stay up just a _little_ later, and they would agree because it was still her birthday, and they'd put a movie on; she would fall asleep midway through and he would scoop her up and carry her upstairs, tucking her into bed with a kiss and an 'I love you' before coming back downstairs, where Jo would curl into his side and tell him that he was a good father. And he knew this because from the time she was able to _understand_ the concept of her birthday, Cate had done the _same exact thing_ ; another candle on her birthday cake didn't change that.

He remembered the day Jo had told him she was pregnant; the fear that had crept in as he realized that in a few short months, he would be someone's _father_ \- responsible for keeping them alive and healthy and _alive_ \- and then the night she was born, he'd watched Jo endure hours of painful, agonizing labor only to _finally_ hear that shrill first scream coming from between her legs. Allison quickly checked the baby, cleared her airways, and then lifted her up to lay her against Jo's chest, still slimy in blood and fluid from the journey out of her mother's womb into the world. She was a tiny thing, his Caterina, and though she'd captured his heart from the moment the test had come back positive, _seeing_ her against her mother's chest had stolen his heart, his breath, his very soul from his body- it all belonged to her from that moment on.

A soft beeping from his data pad told him the calculations he'd run again were done and he glanced at them, not really seeing them, however. After a moment he set the pad aside; he wasn't going to get anything productive done today as long as his mind was elsewhere- _especially_ not on how Jo ended up here in the first place. He saved the calculations, turned off the pad, and opened the drawer to put it inside- out of sight, out of mind- only to stop at the sight of the thumb drive Jo had given him three months ago.

 _"There's something on it you need to see."_ Her words had been gentle, but concerned as she'd held it out to him eventually laying it in his palm. And that moment, as he'd looked into her eyes, seen the strain from the induced rage finally vanish, was the moment he realized he was falling for his wife's counterpart. He hadn't the heart to watch the video on it and so had put it away-

He shut the drawer a little harder than intended, he certainly wasn't going to watch it today.

Jo looked up as he came into the living room and quickly marked her place, setting the book on the table as she sat up and he dropped into the soft butter of the leather sofa with a sigh. "You okay, babe?"

"We're geniuses, right?" She nodded. "Is there _any way_ we can invent a machine to keep children from growing up?" She stared at him surprised, before quickly covering her mouth to hide her laughter.

" _That's_ what you're upset about, Zane? That your baby girl's growing up?"

"She's going to be fourteen, Jo! _Fourteen!_ After she turns fourteen, it's going to be all about dating and boys and how she looks and who she likes and-"

"I don't think we have to worry about that, honey. Catie may be a teenager, but she's not _that_ boy crazy."

"Not _yet_." She sighed, one leg tucked beneath her, the other dangling off the sofa. A moment passed before she scooted closer, shifting around so that her back was settled against his front as she curled into him; his arms immediately went around her, holding her in place. "But the _moment_ she blows those candles out-"

Jo rolled her eyes, but listened to him rant as he slipped a hand beneath her shirt and caressed her skin; that was something she had learned about this Zane fairly quickly- he _needed_ the skin-to-skin contact, craved it even; it was why he was constantly touching her, constantly kissing her, constantly close by. He desired the feel of her close to him almost as much as he desired the sex, if not more.

"Sweetheart, Catie's not that type of girl. You've raised her right. She's got a good head on her shoulders." Eventually Zane's rant died down and Jo grabbed the remote, flicking the TV on as she shifted to curl into his side and tucking her head against his chest. As an episode of _The One Hundred_ \- one of a handful of shows AIDA, Cate, and Jo all liked- began to play, someone came into the living room, stopping by the sofa. They cleared their throat and both adults turned. "Hey, Catie." Jo patted the sofa beside her. "Come sit; _The One Hundred_ 's on-"

 _"I think we're finally going to learn exactly who started the nuclear holocaust."_ AIDA added; unlike SARAH, the Donovans' AI didn't understand the value of reality TV- though she did enjoy a good singing competition episode every once and a while- and preferred shows that fell more into the science fiction/fantasy/crime genre; _NCIS_ and _Law and Order_ were show staples in the Donovan house as much as _Haven_ and _Supernatural_ were, not to mention Syfy's latest, _A Town Called Eureka_ that AIDA had stumbled upon while channel surfing one afternoon while her family was out. When AIDA had the house to herself, Syfy channel was constantly on.

"Actually, I was wondering if I could have something." Her parents shared a glance and Jo turned her attention ceiling-ward.

"AIDA, pause." With the episode paused, they turned to their oldest girl, waiting.

"I was wondering if... if I could have a small party? Nothing major, Daddy, I promise! Just a few friends-"

"I thought you had that every year-" Jo started, as Zane groaned softly and rolled his eyes, releasing her; he knew where this was going- Cate would ask for a small party for her birthday like she did every year and the by the time the day rolled around her 'small party' had ballooned; normally not an issue when she was younger but now that she was getting older... and the with the attention of _boys_...

'Uh huh, and _how many_ girls are we talking?" Zane asked, shifting out from under Jo and getting up, going into the kitchen and fixing a glass of apple cider; they'd gone apple picking at the Westin Family Orchard on the outskirts of Eureka the week before, and had spent the weekend making everything from fresh cider to apple butter and an assortment of sweet desserts.

"Just a few-" Cate stopped, biting her lip; it was common knowledge among the kids at Tesla, that the Donovan girls, while all well liked, _didn't_ have many friends- partially by choice and partially because the majority of kids were honestly scared of their parents. Or _their_ parents were scared of the girls' parents, rather. And if they weren't scared of them, they were jealous.

Zane had been, and always would be, considered a catch in the tight-knit community, and it hadn't been uncommon when he first got to Eureka, for women to try and throw themselves at him; he dated on occasion, but not often and nothing major until Jo. At first, it had been assumed he'd tire of the new Security Director and go back to the market, but when that _didn't_ happen- when they only became more serious and then got pregnant- well, the women of the town acted hurt that he'd played with their emotions, when in reality he'd been as courteous and kind as a man could; it was _them_ who had the issue. And many of the women- some now married, others still single- had watched the Donovan's marriage implode in the hopes they'd divorce and he'd be back on the market-

And then Jo had shown up- or returned- depending on whether you were asking the town or their close-knit group, shooting that hope to Hell in a hand basket, because they now seemed more in love than ever before.

Most of them were jealous that she'd returned and he'd taken her back; a lot of them viewed the situation as Zane accepting a blatant adulteress back into his bed, while others saw it as a bump on the road that was marriage, and they were at least _willing_ to work out their differences and indiscretions for the sake of their daughters and their family as a whole. Jealousy had returned, and this time, many of the kids had gotten in on it- going after the girls at school; Megan Harrington being one. But her parents were so wrapped up in their selfish drama, that it was quickly becoming apparent that Megan's jealousy stemmed _more_ from the fact that Cate's parents were _trying_ to make their marriage work for the girls than anything else- Cate and her sisters had a stable, loving home, something Megan and her brothers didn't have.

"And how many is a _few_?" Zane asked, setting his glass on the island as Jo got up and joined him, stealing a sip from his drink before grabbing one for herself and pulling out a biscuit and a jar of apple butter.

"Four or five, maybe six?" Cate replied, joining them as her sisters came in from the backyard and went to the fridge; Zane gently cut them off, gesturing to the sink, and both girls did as ordered, quickly washing their hands. "We don't have many friends, Daddy."

" _Why_ is that?" Jo asked, setting her butter knife on top of the jar and leaning against the island. "You're all _very_ beautiful girls. if I do say so myself," Jo quipped with silent pride and Zane rolled his eyes with a chuckle; just because Jo never acknowledged her looks in public, didn't mean she ignored her looks in private. "you're sweet and kind and funny, and you all have _huge_ hearts, regardless of the attitudes," She directed gently at Cate, who lowered her gaze, knowing she was referencing how she'd been treated by the teenager from the moment she arrived in this new timeline and her secret had been discovered. "how could you _not_ have many friends?"

"They don't like us because we're Donovans, Mama." Anna spoke up, tapping her mother gently on the elbow; Jo handed her the knife and jar.

"That's ridiculous, Annaleigh. Your last name should _not_ determine your worth in the eyes of others-"

'But it's true," Ela spoke up from the stool she was sitting on, munching on an apple.

" _Don't_ talk with your mouth full, Eleanora." Jo chided gently.

"Yes, Mama." The girl swallowed her bite. "Why do you _think_ they don't like us, Mama?" She asked, biting into the apple.

 _"Eleanora."_ The girl swallowed thickly.

"Sorry, Mama."

"I _still_ don't see _why_ you being born Donovans has to do with girls like Megan Harrington being jealous- or any of the kids for that matter."

"We're the daughters of the _Director_ of Security and the _Director_ of Section Five- the most _dangerous_ section at GD and the most high paid." Anna spoke up, as Jo put the lid back on the apple butter and returned it to the fridge before rinsing the knife and putting it in the dishwasher. "Daddy's section gets more funding from the government because it's military technology, and you were a general in the military and _now_ you're the head of Security and all funding approvals go through you before they go to Uncle Henry."

"So it looks like favoritism." Jo concluded, and Anna nodded as Zane went about fixing lunch.

" _And_ Daddy's a Nobel Laureate in Physics, and everybody in Eureka wants a Nobel- even the robot dogs." Jo's head snapped to Zane and he stopped.

"You're a Nobel Laureate? You never said-"

He shrugged, resuming his work. "I won it a year after arriving in Eureka. It's just another award; no big deal."

"Babe, it's kind of a big deal- it's a _Nobel_." Zane waved it away.

"All it really did was recognize my work; it's nice and all, but there are more _important_ things in this world than Nobel prizes." He reached up, gently cupping her cheek before pulling her close and pecking her softly with a quick nuzzle. She smiled even as Cate rolled her eyes and Anna wrinkled her nose; Ela hid behind her apple until they'd broken apart and Zane returned to fixing lunch.

She turned back to the girls. "Wait- they're jealous; they're parents are jealous and instead of taking it out on _Daddy and I_ , the kids are taking it out on _you_."

"They don't take it out on you or Daddy because they know you'll stop them." Cate whispered and Jo turned to her.

"I'm sorry, sweetie." The girl shrugged, before turning back to her father.

"Daddy?"

Zane sighed, setting the knife down on the cutting board. He glanced at Jo, who shrugged. "Babe, it's a party." She reached out and grabbed the front of his t-shirt, tugging him towards her and sliding her hands down his chest and around his waist. She caught Cate's gaze with a wink, the meaning clear, _Leave it to me; all I need to do is work my feminine wiles on your father_. Pout on, she turned back to Zane with a soft purr.

"It's _one little_ party, babe- her close friends, her extended family. There'll be a few games, some music, plenty of food, a little _dancing_ ," She slid her hips gently against his and watched him bite the inside of his cheek. "She'll get birthday presents- Vincent will make the cake, _of course_ ; she'll get _all dressed up_ in a _nice_ party dress, I'll help her with her hair and makeup and she'll look all _grown up_ and beautiful when she comes downstairs," She chuckled softly at the scowl that crossed her husband's face. She could hear the girls giggling softly.

"And you'll grumble about how 'she's not your baby anymore', and then _midway_ through the party, she'll blow out fifteen candles after we sing Happy Birthday to her and she'll blush and pretend it's nothing major; and when we come home after, she'll ask to stay up a little later after changing into her pajamas and taking her makeup off and her hair down, and we'll allow it, and put a Disney movie in." Zane glanced at his daughters, who all tried to hide their laughter at her imitation of him; they knew it was working- mainly because Zane hadn't disputed her once, which even Jo knew was something he did when faced with a point or reasoning he couldn't get out of.

"She'll fall asleep halfway through, you'll carry her upstairs and tuck her in with a kiss goodnight, and then come back downstairs, curl up with me, and lament about how 'you're baby's gotten another year older, which means you've got one foot in the grave' even though you're _barely_ past forty. And I'll listen, tell you that you're a _good_ _father_ , but that you're also being hypersensitive and over-reactive, and that we have _two more_ that are _younger_ than her, so _try_ to focus on them, and you'll respond with,'yeah, but Cate's my _baby_ ; she's my first' and then I'll roll my eyes, tell you to man up, and we'll go to bed like we do _every year_ from the time she was _three_."

The startled look on Zane's face raised a thousand questions, and Jo laughed softly. "And before you ask, AIDA told me." He rolled his eyes, before glaring at the ceiling. "Zane, it's a _party_ , that's all. It's something we've done every year for her birthday, and there's no sense in stopping now. She only turns fourteen once; besides, like I said, it's tradition, so we kind of _have_ to." She slid her hands back up his chest, fingers catching the collar of his t-shirt. "It's a _birthday party_. Man up, Daddy."

He sighed glancing at his oldest daughter before relenting; Jo had a point, it _was_ tradition. "Fine. You can have your small party, Catie." The girl brightened, hurrying to him and throwing her arms around him, with a kiss to the cheek.

"Thank you, Daddy!"

"You're welcome." He squeezed his daughter gently and kissed her head as Cate caught Jo's gaze over her father's bicep. She mouthed a quick thank you and the older woman nodded. "But it's at Cafe Diem like it always is, we are not inviting the entire town this year- no drama, no drinking, and no boys." As the girl quickly agreed and took a seat at the island as they settled down for lunch, Zane turned back to Jo. "Oh, God, what have we done?"

"We made our oldest daughter very happy." She replied with a soft laugh as they settled down to eat.


	47. Chapter 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: A twist on Purple Haze and a touch of Maneater...

_"I took my troubles down to Madame Ruth_   
_You know that gypsy with the gold-capped tooth_   
_She's got a pad down on Thirty-Fourth and Vine_   
_Sellin' little bottles of Love Potion Number 9_

_I told her that I was a flop with chicks_   
_I'd been this way since 1956_   
_She looked at my palm and she made a magic sign_   
_She said "What you need is Love Potion Number Nine"_

_\- Love Potion Number Nine_

_The Clovers_

Two days before Cate's birthday, Jo made her way down the halls of GD on her usual bout of rounds; but as she passed by the Rose's lab, she stopped, doubling back. Something seemed off.

Mark and Shelby Rose, a married pair of biochemists, had been trying to perfect a serum that would cancel out the emotion that induced hate and replace it with love; Jo knew that in her Alternate timeline they had been dating- here they were married. It always seemed strange to Jo that a woman like Shelby Rose would be a biochemist- she was such a free spirit, but to each their own. Sighing, she stepped through the sliding doors into the couple's lab-

 _What is that smell? Someone douse motor oil all over the floor?_ The air was filled with a light purple haze and she could taste what seemed to be Vincespresso on her tongue when she opened her mouth to speak. "Doctor Roses?" Waving the mist away, she stepped further into the lab, but there was no sight of the pair. Though it was evident where the purple mist was coming from-

The broken vials with the black liquid on the table were a good indication that _something_ had happened.

She quickly pulled the handgun from the holster at her back, but didn't cock the hammer, really hoping she wouldn't need to. She quite like the Doctor Roses, as she called them; sure they were both a little quirky, but what couple wasn't? Especially considering their current project-

They also lived on the other side of the Donovans, and it wasn't uncommon to find Ela playing with their daughter in the front yard; Tabby Rose was Ela's best friend after all, and they'd been one of the few to stick up for Jo and Zane's marriage when _she_ had left, saying that some couples just needed space to sort out their issues, and that everything would work itself out. And they'd been right- to a degree.

"Mark? Shelby?" She moved around the table, not noticing the partially broken vial on the floor. It rolled and she stumbled back, grabbing onto the counter as she went down; the force sent the last few vials still upright crashing, dousing Jo in black liquid. Huffing, the Security Director barely registered that though it _smelled_ like turpentine and _looked_ like India ink, it tasted like Vincespresso, with a hint of peppermint and apple mixed in.

"Director Donovan?" She looked up to see both Roses standing before her, looking very disheveled and clinging to each other like a pair of lovesick teenagers. A moment passed before they helped her to her feet. "Are you okay, Jo?"

"I"m fine. Besides the fact that I'm covered in your... what _is this_ anyway?"

"Oh, we call it Love Potion Number Nine, you know like the song."

She barely listened as Mark went off on some spiel about finding the right compounds that isolated the small portion of the brain that controlled hate, and how all one had to do was ingest a couple drops of the serum- She shook her head, holding up a hand to stop him; she was fairly certain she'd ingested _more_ than a couple drops. "That's all well and good, Mark, but... _what does it do?_ "

"It replaces hate with love, Jo." Shelby replied with a giggle, as though that the was silliest question she'd ever heard. Jo raised an eyebrow and waited, watching as the pair made the most _disgusting_ couple talk she'd ever heard; if she and Zane ever got that bad, she was giving Carter permission to shoot them both.

 _"Guys!"_ She clapped once, startling the pair who turned back to her. "Symptoms? Side effects?"

"Right." Mark sighed, thinking. "Um... it basically makes the emotion of hate go dormant, replacing it with happiness and love; so whatever you're upset with will..." He shrugged. "And as for side effects and symptoms- they're different for every person. The traits _you_ find attractive in each person will sort of look kind of shimmery- like looking at a prism in the sun- to you; the more shimmery, the stronger the attraction."

" _Great._ Is it toxic? Is the _vapor_ toxic? You know, asking because I think I _inhaled_ some before _ingesting it_."

"No, Jo. The vapors won't do anything; you have to _ingest_ it in order for it to have any sort of affect. It's not toxic, but it does taste different to each person- sort of like Amortentia from the _Harry Potter_ series."

"So... I tasted Vincespresso with peppermint and apple. What does that mean?"

Shelby shrugged. "The taste means something different to each person. We've been able to figure out that the _strongest_ taste is associated with a person that means _something_ to the person who ingested it. If Vincespresso is the strongest of the three for you then it must be associated with-" She grinned, and Jo narrowed her gaze. Shelby covered her mouth to hide her laugh. _"Zane."_

"And how do you stop it? What's the antidote?"

"Oh, there's no antidote." Mark replied, nuzzling Shelby's cheek. "Haven't been able to find one; but depending on the amount ingested, will determine how long you're affected."

"So there's no-" She sighed, and then waved it away. "You know what, never mind." She grabbed both by an arm and shoved them out of the lab, pulling out her PDA. She made a quick call to Rowley and explained the situation, and then called Allison, who told her to bring the Roses in so she could run tests. After dropping them off at the infirmary, Jo went back to her office and grabbed her duffel, heading for the decontamination showers.

Once done, she pulled the towel around herself and slipped into one of the stalls to change; setting the bag on the bench, she grabbed the extra pair of black slacks before stopping. She usually kept a couple changes of clothes in her office just in case she needed them at any time during the week. With her drenched clothes in a bag to be placed in her car to go into the wash when she got home, she turned to the clothing she'd pulled from the duffel- a pair of black slacks, an A-line skirt, a sky blue fit and flare wrap top, and a cherry red fitted blouse inspired to look like a corset and bustier with long sleeves that had a row of buttons on the cuffs, and a square collar with a row of buttons down the front center, that tied behind the neck.

She _had_ considered it too sexy for work, but now-

When she returned to making her rounds that afternoon, she'd turned more than a few heads, but none more so than Carter's when he came to get Allison to go to lunch. Allison had called her in to run a few tests because Rowley had been fielding complaints that Jo was acting oddly ever since bringing the Roses into the infirmary.

"I'm _telling_ you, Al, I'm _fine_ , I _swear_. So I may have ingested a touch of Mark and Shelby's 'love potion,' but I doubt it works; I've felt fine all day. I don't know what everyone's so worried about-"

"Hey Allie, ready for-" Both women turned as Carter entered; his gaze lit on Jo, who had changed into the fitted cherry red blouse and A-line skirt."- lunch. Well, you look nice, Jo."

The Security Director smiled softly, as Allison went to her desk. "In a moment, Jack; Zane and Grace have been helping me try to figure how to counteract what Jo was exposed to in the Rose's lab-"

Footsteps sounded as Zane and Grace came into the infirmary; it had taken them the last couple hours, but they'd managed to isolate the exact compound that suppressed hate and flooded love. "Mark said that it would wear off depending on how much the person ingested, and since he and Shelby had been testing it on _each other_ -"

Zane stopped, the meaning clear in the air as they joined Allison at her desk where the results of the Rose's blood tests were on screen to be compared against Jo's latest tests. He glanced at his wife; she seemed okay, but if what Rowley said was true, then the number of reports about her odd behavior over the course of the last few hours was in _direct_ correlation to the Roses' serum... especially considering he and Jo were both very professional at work- only stealing kisses and touches in secluded abandoned corners of GD in intermittent periods of the day, or in each others' offices either early in the mornings before the day started, or in the early evening at the end of the work day before they left. For Jo to do _anything_ out of their regular pattern- especially flirting as some of the reports said- with anyone _besides_ him was entirely out of character for the Security Director. Jo didn't deviate from patterns once she found one.

"- the problem is the chaos this can cause or has already caused; according to Mark, it can cause blackouts, which could be the reason why Jo doesn't remember half the things she's been reported doing; luckily, the vapors don't cause the lowered inhibitions, so the cleaning crew is safe to go in-"

"But how did _Jo_ end up exposed?" Grace asked, as she and Allison worked on trying trying to create an antidote; neither woman was watching Jo- but she was listening to Carter who was keeping her entertained while she had blood drawn, so she should be safe from causing trouble.

"I slipped on a broken vial." The Security Director replied.

"You should have _seen_ her when she brought the Roses in, she was _drenched_ in the stuff; wouldn't surprised me if she ingested some of it when she got covered in it." Allison said. "Luckily though, it should just be contained to the three of them-"

"But we don't know _how much_ she ingested; it could take a while before it wears off-" Zane spoke glancing up as his wife slipped off the infirmary bed and sidled over to Carter; he narrowed his gaze.

"Haven't seen you in a while." Carter furrowed a brow, pausing in the story he'd been telling her to distract her from the needle during the blood work.

"What're you talking about Jo? We met for coffee before you and Zane took the girls to school-"

She shrugged. "I know, I just- I miss us. You know- you and me and our... partnership." She slid her hand down his arm to take his hand. "We've worked together for years; I was your deputy for how long? I mean... you're _very_ attractive" She let her gaze rake slowly over the sheriff, even as he pulled away and tried to put space between them. "I'm _really_ attractive... we've always had a really _close_ partnership... you can't tell me you've never... thought about it."

"Jo, I think you're confusing your timelines; you were never my deputy here-" Carter stopped. "Thought about what?" His gaze flicked to Zane, who he _now_ realized was stalking towards them with a look that screamed he was about to commit murder most bloody...

"Us. I mean... haven't you ever... thought about it? Us getting together."

The sheriff shook his head hurrying to put enough distance between them to calm Zane's raised ire. "Nope... nope... I've never-" But his back hit the wall and he found himself boxed in by the bed. She reached up, grabbing his face and capturing his mouth with hers in a deep kiss.


	48. Chapter 48

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So this chapter is... there's a reason the rating went up... and yet, my darling sister-in-law cannot write oral sex scenes to save her life... so I guess this is more sex-sex scene than oral sex-sex scene... and trying to edit this chapter stressed me out so much...

_"She bent down and turned around and gave me a wink_   
_She said, "I'm gonna make it up right here in the sink"_   
_It smelled like turpentine, it looked like Indian ink_   
_I held my nose, I closed my eyes, I took a drink_

_I held my nose, I closed my eyes, I took a drink_

_I didn't know if it was day or night_  
 _I started kissin' everything in sight_  
 _But when I kissed a cop down on Thirty-Fourth and Vine_  
 _He broke my little bottle of Love Potion Number Nine_ _"_

_\- Love Potion Number Nine_

_The Clovers_

_"Carter, just what the hell do you think you're doing kissing my wife!"_

Carter turned to say something as soon as he managed to force Jo away from him-

At the _exact moment_ Zane's fist collided hard and fast with his face.

_"Zane!"_

Jo, still under the affects of the serum, watched with shock and a mild thrill of delight, even as Grace yanked her out of the way. Allison grabbed a tranq gun and put two shots into it; instead of going for Jo- who she _knew_ was under the affects of the serum and wasn't in control of her actions- she went for the two men, determined to use it on both of them if she had to.

_"This is not my fault! It's hers!"_ Carter snapped at Zane, waving towards Jo; his blatant disregard to take some responsibility for the situation only fanned Zane's anger and he grabbed the nearest heavy object he could get his hands on- his wife's handgun, sitting on the tray that had held it and the jewelry she'd had to take off when they'd done an MRI, to make sure it was actually the serum and not a tumor or something else to cause equal worry- and instantly Carter's Marshal training kicked in."Zane, put the gun down."

But Zane merely glanced at the handgun he held then back at Carter and in one swift move slammed the butt of his wife's handgun into the sheriff's head. He didn't knock Carter out but he did manage to stun the older man as Rowley and Hertz rushed in having gotten the call about the scuffle in the infirmary while they were making their rounds. "What the hell happened?" Rowley demanded and Zane turned to her.

_"Carter kissed my wife_ _."_ As if that explained everything. He handed his wife's handgun to the redhead before going to his wife who stood with Grace and Allison, lip between her teeth. "Sorry, Allison." He glanced back at Carter, who was being tended to by one of the nurses. "No, actually I'm _not_ sorry, _not_ this time. He so much as _gets near_ my wife again when she's still under the influence of this, and I'll break more than just his nose and leave him with a goose egg." He met her gaze. "If he wants to press charges, go ahead, I've been accused of much worse, but I'm not apologizing, not to him."

His gaze slid to Jo, who gave him a look he'd seen only once before- when he'd lost his temper and lit into General Mansfield for the outrageous deadlines GD's scientists were forced to try and meet- one afternoon not long before Anna had been born. In fact, if he were honest with himself, Anna had been conceived _because_ of that argument with Mansfield. Jo had yanked him into an unused lab not long after the meeting had ended; what had started off as a quick encounter between spouses had ended in an unplanned pregnancy and their small family expanding by one. The fact that it was now on her face and not her counterpart's told him that clearly this was something that crossed all timelines. He grit his teeth as everyone started talking at once. _"Shut up! Everyone just shut up!"_ He turned back to Allison. "If there's nothing else, Allison and you don't need her anymore, I'm gonna take her home and get her out of this God-forsaken building until this leaves her system; got a problem with that?"

The good doctor shook her head, and after a moment Zane grabbed Jo's hand, yanking her away from the women and walking her out of the infirmary, leaving everyone in shock. They passed Henry on the way out but Zane barely acknowledged the Director, merely informing him that, "The Roses' are in quarantine, Jo's exposure has gotten out of hand, I broke Carter's nose and I'm taking her home; if you need her you can call the house, AIDA will put you through, but she's _not_ staying here as long as she's still under the influence and she's _not_ coming back until it's fully out of her system. I'll be back in a couple hours, give or take." before tugging her out of the building.

They barely reached the car when Jo pulled him close, sliding her hands down his hips with a wicked grin. "God, do you know how _hot_ that was, watching you take control like that?" Before he could say anything her mouth was on his and his arms around her waist; it took a moment before he was able to finally break the kiss and gently push her away; because despite the flare of his temper about the situation, he could never resist her kiss.

"Jo, you're not yourself; that's the serum talking; and I'm not going to take advantage of you while you're under the influence. I may be a man but I have morals and I understand the importance of consent-"

'But Zane," She whimpered, reaching for his hips to pull him closer, but he held firm, pushing her gently back against the car. 'I want you..." She hooked her fingers into the pockets of his jeans and tugged him close, sliding her hips against his, feeling his immediate reaction to her body. A little giggle escaped her and she smiled, meeting his gaze. "You should lose your temper more often, babe. It's probably the sexiest thing I've ever seen."

A moment passed, before he pulled away and held her once again at arms' length. "No, Jojo. Not until you're back to your old self. Now get in the car."

"It's my car, Dono-"

"Get in the goddamned car, Donovan!" He snapped, and after a moment she did as told. By the time he finally got her home, he'd had to slam on the brakes twice and handcuff her to the seat belt. After stepping through the door, Zane removed the handcuffs; AIDA immediately questioned why they were home early and informed them that the girls would be home after dance got done at eight and asked if they'd like anything since they were both home early- "No thanks, AIDA, I'm just dropping Jo off-"

_"No, stay!"_ Jo whined, tangling her fingers in his shirt.

He pulled away, his morals winning out. "No, not when you're not thinking clearly-"

"So what if I'm not thinking clearly? I know what I want Zane, and I want you; I've always wanted you," She slid her hands around his waist and gently squeezed his ass with a giggle. "Make love to me," she whispered, kissing him. He shook his head. "Then have sex with me." Again he shook his head, very clearly telling her no, but Jo, not one to be deterred from something she wanted- under the influence or not- tried again, stepping away and reaching behind her to untie the bow at her back.

She quickly removed the blouse, letting it drop to the floor at her feet, seeing something familiar flash in his eyes; the dark blue bra she wore accented her skin, and she slid her hands down to work on the zipper at the back of her skirt. It was so rare that she wore skirts-

As the fabric shifted down her thighs, revealing the matching underwear, she knew she had him. Zane was a brilliant scientist, a Nobel Laureate, a good, attentive father and loving husband- but he was also irrevocably _male_ and had a tendency to _not_ use his brain on occasion, one of those almost _always_ being when she stripped down to her lingerie-

The man had a strong moral compass- the strongest of anyone she'd ever met, but right now, it was fading, and fading fast. She grinned, reaching up and releasing her hair from its severe ponytail- and that was the thing that did him in. He _absolutely loved_ Jo's hair when it was down. If he had to choose a kryptonite unique to him it would be her hair and the sight of it down around her shoulders. He took a deep breath, shaking his head as he rolled his gaze ceiling-ward briefly. "I'm sorry, I _swear_ , I tried."

_"Zane..."_ In the time between the skirt dropping to the floor, her hair coming free of its ponytail, and his apology to whatever _cruel_ deity he didn't believe in- that had decided to torture him by allowing his wife to ingest a touch of a man made _Love Potion-_ Jo had traipsed the stairs to the second floor and stood on the landing in nothing but her lingerie. "Aren't you going to come and get me, big boy?" He winced; he didn't understand names like that and they didn't use them, but he knew it was the serum talking.

Before she could call again, he'd traipsed the stairs two at a time and and grabbed her around the waist, throwing her over his shoulder as he carried her to their bedroom. Once among the blankets of their bed, Zane cast his moral compass aside in favor of more... _amorous_ almost erotic recreational activities.

He teased her nipple through the soft fabric of her bra, eliciting a moan from her before moving to the other breast and repeating the process, then kissing his way down her body. He gently tugged the matching underwear down and off before tossing them to the floor and turning his attention to the area between her legs. His fingers trailed slowly up the insides of her thighs and she whimpered in desire; Zane grinned.

One of the best things he'd discovered about Jo- both _her_ and this one- was how sensitive the inside of her thighs were; and the closer he got to her clit, the more she would squirm in desire. His fingers brushed over the bud between her thighs, and she whimpered. He continued to roll it between his thumb and index finger before reaching down and gently parting her. But instead of diving in as most men would, he trailed his fingers along the lips of her labia before sliding them into her; gently stroking the ridges of her G-Spot sent shivers racing up her spine-

When finally he removed his fingers and moved to tasting her, he took his time, teasing her and drawing it out; as her hips bucked as he slowly ate her out- taking his time with her as he often did when they fell into bed together. Though Zane was a whirlwind of trouble in almost every other aspect of life- _"From the moment I gave birth to him he's been nothing but wild chaos wrapped up in a sweet, loving package that not many can handle or want to without trying to change him,"_ as his mother often said- when it came to his girls he was as attentive and calm as the sea after a storm, and that extended to all his girls, not just his daughters.

And while _she'd_ chosen to turn from the love and attention her husband had given in favor of a childhood friend, this Jo willingly accepted the attention and love he gave her, and gave it back tenfold, understanding the importance of sharing such in a relationship. The fact that they were both evenly matched sexually in their desires also helped. When he finally pulled away and wiped his mouth, returning to her, the taste of her on his lips, he had a pretty good idea that it would be a while before the potion finally left her system- if the burning desire in her dark eyes was any indication.

He broke the kiss and pulled away, removing his boxers and grabbing a condom from the nightstand drawer, rolling it on before pinching the tip and positioning himself between her legs; he slid into her easily, thick and full, taking a moment for them both to get adjusted. Her hands moved up his sides and around his back, digging into his skin as he began to move; they took it slow, finding pleasure and sharing it as they moved together. Slowly, he began to tease her, pulling out of her and then just barely pushing into her- it drove her up the wall and gave him a moment to catch himself and calm down- usually eliciting strong whimpers of protest from her that he loved hearing and turned him on even more.

_"Oh, Zane-"_

They picked up their pace, and he could only focus on the pleasure they were both sharing as they tangled in the soft, silky sheets of their bed; her nails bit and dug into his back as he drove deeper, filling her completely. When they were first married, she had made a joke to Allison during one of their afternoons out in Portland that she "would never need to stray, because her husband was hung like a horse and knew exactly how to satisfy her"- something that had obviously not been true, since she'd soon turned around and begun resenting their marriage- but now? With _her_ having been replaced by Jo- well, if their sparks were any indication, he satisfied her greatly, just as she satisfied him.

_"God, Jo-"_ He leaned down, capturing her mouth with his in a tender kiss, before he moved to kiss her throat. " _My_ Jo-"

With a soft gasp, Jo dug her nails into his back-

So caught up in their activities, neither heard the car doors slam or the front door open. The footsteps on the stairs were drowned out by their cries, and neither heard the bedroom click open slightly, or the small voice as Ela poked her head in. "Mama? Daddy?"


	49. Chapter 49

The only time someone else _ever_ picked the girls up from school was if there was something wrong and their parents were involved, or they were unable to get away from work- but usually, it was all prearranged just in case, and Zane or Jo or both would text them and let them know what was going on an hour or two before school got out. So to _not_ hear from their parents at all today- it wasn't right. Something was definitely wrong.

So when they got out of school and realized that their mother's little blue Subaru wasn't in the parking lot with her or their father leaning against it waiting for them- well Cate called Uncle Jack in a panic. And when he didn't pick up, she called Aunt Allison but got no reply. Normally, not one to massively panic over no one answering, Cate tried Uncle Jack again figuring he was on a case, but was now back at the office. Aunt Grace didn't pick up either, and by the time Cate called Uncle Henry and Larry patched her through- but he didn't answer either because he was away from the office and in a demonstration for something in one of the labs- the teenager was in tears; it wasn't like _any_ of the adults to _not pick up their phones_. So the girl's mind went to the worst case scenario- one or all of them were in massive danger and unable to get to the phone.

While Anna tried her hardest to calm their older sister down, Ela called Zoe- who was in Eureka for an interview to work at GD and there for Cate's birthday- and after explaining the situation, the oldest of the Carter kids came and got them. She didn't say a word as to what had happened that kept the others from answering, probably because she didn't know, and simply asked if they had dance tonight, of which Cate replied that no, it was canceled due to the instructor being out sick; Zoe dropped the girls off at the house, telling them to call her if they needed her, and left to return to GD, leaving the girls _very_ confused as to _why_ the family car was in the driveway if there was something going on at GD.

They slipped into the house, but the only thing they found of the ordinary was the trail of clothing leading from the front door upstairs- and the handcuffs they recognized as the ones their mother used at work, sitting on the end table by the sofa in the living room. Dropping their things by the door, all three girls headed upstairs, following the trail of clothing until they reached their parents' bedroom door _._

They could hear something behind the closed bedroom door, after sharing glances, Ela grabbed the handle, turning quietly; it clicked open. "Mama? Daddy?"

They expected not to hear anything; for the room to be empty, because that was normal, and so all three were stunned to hear very familiar voices.

_"... My Josephina... I love you..."_

A very feminine giggle reached the girls' ears- sure they'd all heard their mother giggle before, but never like _that_ \- _"Zane-"_

Slowly, Ela pushed the door open a little more, poking her head in as Anna and Cate strained behind her to see into the dimness. "Mama? Daddy?"

Hands touching and grabbing as they moved together... mouths meeting and parting, and in one swift move, Daddy was among the messy blankets with Mama on top of him, black hair streaming down her back, and body covered in a light sheen of sweat as she rode him... _"Eleanora! What the hell are you-"_

Mama let out a squeak as Daddy grabbed for the blanket, and the girl had the good sense to yank the door closed with a slam, following her sisters as they all dashed back downstairs. "That _really_ didn't just happen, did it? We were just imagining it, _right_? Mama and Daddy weren't really-" Anna started, but Ela shook her head; Cate looked half sick.

There were very _few_ things a teenager wanted to know about their parents- when they lost their virginity, their police records, their awkward phases- and the placement of birthmarks, moles, and freckles on their bodies as well as the positions they liked to use during sex. The fact that they had seen both their father's _very_ freckled porcelain back, _and_ the Mongolian spot on their mother's left buttock meant none of them could look at _either_ in swimwear the same way ever again. For the next several weeks, they would be spending the majority of their time watching their parents out of the corner of their eyes- every touch, every kiss, every lingering caress would send them back to the moment they caught their parents _having sex_.

"I'm gonna be spending the rest of my life in therapy." Cate muttered, with a whimper. "I can't spend the rest of my life in therapy-"

"We're all gonna need therapy, Catie." Anna replied, pulling her water bottle from her dance bag in attempt to get the taste of horror from her mouth.

"What if they're doing it again?" Ela asked, voice small and filled with fright as she curled up in the corner of the sofa the girls had taken refuge in. _"I'm not going back up there and you can't make me!"_ Her sisters both blanched, looks of disgust crossing their faces as they imagined exactly that.

"God Ellie, don't even think that! I just got that image out of my head!" Cate replied, and Anna swallowed hard and closed her water bottle.

"I didn't know Daddy was so _white_ ," The ten-year-old muttered in shock. "Being that white is _not normal_."

"But Daddy's Irish and Russian; that could be why. Both Irish and Russians are very, very, _very_ white." Anna whispered, the shock setting in. "Does Mama know she has a birthmark-"

_"Eleanora Rosalie!"_

All three girls shared glances as their father's voice cut through their conversation, and slowly, all three poked their heads over the back of the sofa to see Zane come storming down the stairs, now fully dressed and hair damp from a quick shower, Jo following. He stopped at the sight of his daughters watching him over the back of the sofa, and released a shaky breath at the traumatized looks on their faces. But before he could say anything, all three ducked back behind the sofa. "All three of you?"

Silence, then, "Yes."

Zane huffed at his own hubris- okay, so it wasn't _fully_ his fault; he hadn't expected the girls to be home, they were supposed to be at ballet, and AIDA was supposed to have alerted them to the girls' return or at least locked the bedroom door- "Why aren't you at dance?"

Anna peeked her head over the top of the sofa briefly. "Cancelled. Miss Lesa's sick."

"Oh, nice to know." With a sigh, he moved around the sofa, but all three lowered their gazes. "Look, girls-" He stopped, feeling Jo's hands slide over his hips; okay, so he was _kind_ of hoping a couple rounds in bed would mean the serum was out of her system, but apparently not. So much for wishful thinking. "Look girls, what you saw-"

'We know about the birds and the bees, Daddy." Cate replied, looking anywhere but at her father. "You don't _need_ to explain it."

"No, I do-"

 _"Please_ , _don't_ _."_ Anna squeaked, covering her face with her hands; Ela had pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face in them, shaking her head. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Zane moved to take a seat on the coffee table in front of them; he rested his elbows on his knees and nervously rubbed his hands together. None of the girls were looking at him, and he tensed, feeling Jo slide her hands long his shoulders.

"This is the result of an accident at work-"

 _"An accident at work made you come home and have sex?"_ Cate cried, voice rising; Zane closed his eyes and released a breath, realizing how it sounded to his darling daughters. He shrugged Jo off and returned his attention to the matter at hand.

"N- your Mama got exposed to something while making her rounds at work and she's a little-" He reached up, gently shoving his wife's hands off his waist before continuing. "Mr. and Mrs. Rose were creating a serum that puts the part of the brain that develops hate dormant; it replaces it with love if you ingest it. Mama went to check on them during her rounds and ended up covered in the stuff- unfortunately that means she also ended up _ingesting_ a bit of it and so she's... a little... _would you quit? Please?_ " He turned to the woman in question, who looked hurt when he grabbed her hands and held them to keep her from slipping them beneath his shirt. He released her after a moment and turned back to the girls. "She's been flirting with people at work all day- according to Mr. Rose, the traits most attractive to the person will shimmer; the more shimmery, the stronger the attraction, basically- and then she kissed Uncle Carter in the infirmary, so I brought her home-"

All three noticed how he used the sheriff's last name; they were old enough to know that whenever their father used the sheriff's last name, it meant he wasn't happy with the older man, but none of them wanted to ask. Instead, Cate asked, "So what is it that she has?"

Zane sighed, meeting his oldest daughter's gaze, but the girl quickly turned away. "Mr. and Mrs. Rose call it 'Love Potion Number Nine-'"

"Like that old song?"

He nodded. "Like that old song." He scooted to the side, attempting to put space between him and his wife only to have her follow. "Jo, stop." He gently pushed his wife back to the other side of the table, and returned to the conversation. "I brought her home, and I was going to go back to work, but she- we-" He stopped, realizing that the girls didn't need an explanation of what had happened; they'd all gotten an eyeful of what had gone on between their parents. "There's no antidote; it just has to wear its way out of her system, which _means_ Mama can't go back to work, so she's gonna stay here for the rest of the day. And since you don't have dance tonight, I want _you three_ to take care of her. It should wear off by the time I get home from work, but I'm not going to take any chances, so we're gonna-" He turned as Jo reached up and slid a hand through his hair, before moving to tug at the buttons of his shirt. "Okay, _that's it_." He huffed, taking her wrists and tugging her to her feet, walking her over to the armchair and sitting her in it. _"Stay_ _."_

Returning to the coffee table, he picked up where he left off. "Mama's gonna stay here, and I want _you three_ to look after her, okay? Don't worry, she won't be able to go anywhere; I'm gonna have AIDA lock her in-"

 _"Would you like me to lock her in the master or in the house in general_ , _Zane?"_ AIDA asked, and Zane glanced ceiling-ward.

"No need to lock her in the bedroom, AIDA; I just don't want her leaving the _house_." He reached out, grabbing the hand that worked its way over his thigh, yanking it up and keeping it between both of his, even as she tried tugging free. She whimpered. _"No."_ She continued to try to tug free, but he tightened his grip, lacing their hands together. "God only _knows_ what Mama will do by herself, so I _need_ you three on this one, okay?" Not missing a beat, he replied, _"No, Jo."_ before continuing. "I'm not asking you to supervise her; I just want you to keep her company until it wears completely out of her system; can you do that for me? _Please?_ "

After a moment, the girls all nodded and he relaxed. "Thank you, girls." Still holding her hand, he stood, leaning over and kissing each head of black hair. "I have to get back to work; I'm not sure when I'll be back, but I shouldn't be too late."

"Daddy?"

Anna's voice stopped him midway to the door. "Yes, Annaleigh?"

"If Mama's affected by the love potion, then what's your excuse?"


	50. Chapter 50

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Stoned is the next episode; in this chapter we get a little more insight into the girls relationship with her- and a little more insight into Jo... and there is no way this is going to be a short story; we still have a ways to go.

Keeping a love potion affected woman occupied was harder than it sounded. By the time three hours rolled around, all three girls decided that their father owed them _big time_ -

As the day wore on, Jo began acting more and more like a teenager- something that admittedly freaked the girls out- and wanted to do what most teenage girls did- from trying on clothes to doing her nails and playing with her makeup; at one point she found her stash of chewing gum, of which the constant sound of bubbles popping began to get on at least one of the Donovan daughters' nerves.

Of course, throw in that part of what the woman wanted to do was go joyriding- something, the girls found out, Jo had done with Blythe, Hertz and Rowley when they were teenagers- but because Zane had told AIDA to keep her locked in the house for her own good and safety, any sort of car ride was out of the question, and AIDA, used to having Cate constantly try to sweet talk her, didn't fall for Jo's attempts at all.

"Daddy said she should be getting _better_ not worse," Cate said; she and her sisters were sitting on the sofa in the living room; they'd followed Jo upstairs to make sure she wasn't getting into any trouble, only to find her dragging something out of the walk-in closet in the master bedroom. The girls were surprised to find that it was a footlocker, covered in stickers. Jo had brought the footlocker downstairs and set it on the table, opening it as the girls had gathered around, to find it filled with trinkets and other similar things.

"She _is_ getting better," Anna replied, as Jo came back into the living room from upstairs carrying a box. "She's not as erratic or whiny as she was earlier." The girls had spent a good hour and a half listening to Jo beg AIDA to let her go, and when that didn't work, she reacted as a teenager would- as Cate had on more than one occasion- and stormed upstairs, slamming the door to the master bedroom, where she didn't come out for an hour.

She'd since calmed down and was back to her giggly, peppy self- Cate was fairly certain that Jo had been a cheerleader in high school, given the amount of pep and eagerness she exuded. "She makes me think of you, Catie," Ela said, as the woman removed the lid on the box and joined them. "She's _exactly_ like you, just older."

Cate glanced at the older woman; the top half of her long black hair was pulled back in a high ponytail while the rest tumbled down her back and shoulders in soft waves, and she wore a pair of low-slung white sweat pants that showed the hem of her dark purple boy shorts and a matching dark purple sports bra, a la Britney's _Baby One More Time_ music video. It showed off her trim figure, and Cate began to wonder exactly _what_ Jo was like in high school- all she _really_ knew about her mother was that she was a military brat, shuffled from base to base, coast to coast, forced to retake classes and remake friends for however long they were there until they moved again. Cate and her sisters had a hard time of it- being the daughters of the Security Director and the Section Five Director- and had their fair share of bullying and typical school difficulties- but it was _nothing_ compared to what Jo had probably gone through growing up.

Moving every few months, when she'd just gotten settled and adjusted to a new school? Having to leave the few friends she'd made for another base, another school, in another state? And only having her father and brothers, no female influence around at all to the make it easier on her? When it boiled down to it, Cate and her sisters had it a thousand times easier than their mother had- even Daddy had had an easier time it, living in one place versus moving constantly. Was that the reason her mother was as rigid as she was- _both_ versions of her?

It was exceedingly evident to the girls that Jo had very few friends at GD, and probably even fewer _in_ Eureka- was it a side effect of having to constantly pack up and move? Keep to yourself so you don't get attached, so that when you _have_ to say goodbye, it's not as painful? It sounded like a lonely existence for a teenager born into a military family, especially one where she was the only girl with no mother to speak of. And it sounded like an even lonelier existence for a young woman who had always done what everyone asked of her- even serving in the first group of soldiers sent to fight the War on Terror after the Towers fell.

Was _that_ why she clung to Daddy so much? Not her mother, but this version of her? She had found her stability, her permanence, and refused to be parted from it, for fear it would vanish and she'd be back to square one- something her mother never cared to admit, and from what Cate could figure, they were one and the same. Though her mother had gone running to an old childhood friend, turning her back on the stability her family had provided in favor of a once-forgotten romance. But this Jo- _this_ version- hadn't _once_ mentioned going up to Vancouver unless asked about her trip, and she clung to Daddy like her life depended on it; she cared for them, cared for the people at GD, cared about the town- she was _everything_ her mother was not and had never been.

And she had fallen deeply in love with Daddy, and he with her; it was evident now.

He was smiling more, he was _laughing_ more; the worry was gone from his face and he was more open to letting them do things around town. He was more like what Cate remembered when she was little; and this version of her mother had everything to do with it. He'd fallen in love again- with a younger version of his wife- and she was making him _happy_. They were a team again, in every aspect of life, and a strong one; the rumors had even stopped swirling around town about what she'd been doing in Vancouver and why Zane hadn't divorced her.

And, despite the fact that she had never had children, she was _really_ trying to be a good mother.

"You were a dancer?" Cate looked up as Jo pulled out a pair of pristine, new Pointe shoes that had never been worn; they gathered around and she blushed.

"I wanted to be," She admitted, resting the shoes on the coffee table. "I did dance up until I was... eighteen- roughly- and then I quit."

"Because you went into the military?" Ela asked, and she nodded.

"These were my last pair of Pointe shoes, but I never got to use them," Tears began to gather in her eyes and she blinked them away. "I don't know why I kept them, but I just- I couldn't give them up."

"Did you just do Ballet?" Anna asked, and Jo shook her head, sitting back against the sofa.

"Oh, I did it all- ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, Pointe- all of it. It was the only real enjoyment I got out of being a military brat; wherever we moved, I always made sure I could find a dance studio," She sighed, returning them to the box and setting it aside. "If I could go back and do it all again," She bit her lip. "I think I would; I wouldn't quit. I'd stick with it, go to New York, work the circuit-"

"But you wouldn't have us." Ela said, and Jo turned to her.

"Maybe not, but I would have the one thing my mother nurtured in me until the day she died." Without a word, Cate got up, going downstairs. Her sisters shared glances, but Jo got up, promising to be right back. She found Cate sitting on the floor of the dance studio in the dark, crying. "Cate? Catie?"

"Go away."

Without turning on the light, Jo joined her, taking a seat across from her. "What's wrong?" The girl sniffled, not looking up.

"You don't want us; no version of you wants us; she didn't- you don't. Why did you have us if you didn't want us?" She sniffled, pulling her knees to her chest as Jo tucked her own legs beneath her.

"When my mom died, I became the only girl in the house; I wasn't expected to do everything, but I wasn't exactly taken care of. My dad tried, he really did, but he was so caught up in his own grief- and I looked just like her- that it was hard for him. I raised myself with the help of my brothers, and for the longest time I felt like no one wanted me; my mom didn't want to raise me, so she died so she wouldn't have to, my dad was too caught up in grief and work to remember his only daughter, who was a carbon copy of his wife, my brothers were each a few years older than me and had their own lives and careers and didn't have time to help raise the runt of the family- and I blamed myself for years."

Cate watched her; she'd known that her mother had a rocky relationship with her brothers and father- but hadn't know neglect was part of the equation. She had always laughed it off as typical sibling differences, when clearly it ran much deeper than that. And the fact that Jo blamed herself for her mother's death-

"You are _not_ responsible for her leaving, Catie; just like I'm not responsible for my mom dying. They were circumstances out of our control; maybe she didn't want to be a mother, maybe she wasn't meant to be- some women aren't- but that doesn't mean she didn't love you. From what I know of her, she did love you and your sisters, she just wasn't meant to be a parent; that doesn't make it your fault. You've done _nothing_ wrong. Nothing." She reached out and gently brushed a strand from the girl's cheek. "Just because she wasn't meant to be a parent doesn't mean your Daddy wasn't; Daddy loves you, all three of you. You're his world."

"No, _you_ are."

"I'm _part_ of his world, just like you and Anna and Ela are, but I'm not his whole world. And I wouldn't want to be as long as you and your sisters are in it; I'm perfectly happy sharing your daddy- because he loves all of us. We make up his world and he makes up ours, and he's done _everything_ he possibly could to make this whole thing easy on all of us. Cate, just because I love Daddy doesn't mean he stops loving you and your sisters; it _doesn't_. And it doesn't mean I don't love the three of you, because believe me, I _do_. I may not have been the version to give birth to you, but you're my daughters. You're my girls as much as you're Daddy's, and I will do _everything_ in my power to make you see that, all three of you, for as long as I'm here in this timeline. Okay?"

A moment passed, before the girl nodded, and Jo pulled her into a hug; she squeezed her gently, brushing a kiss to the black curls before pulling away. "C'mon, let's go back upstairs and put a movie on or something; maybe order pizza, okay?" The girl nodded and Jo stood, helping her to her feet and wrapping an arm around her waist.

Once back upstairs, the girls put an order in for pizza, and spent the time looking through the photos and trinkets in Jo's footlocker. Over pizza and soda- a rarity, since Zane and Jo didn't keep junk food or sugary drinks in the house- the girls listened to her stories of what it was like growing up in Perth Amboy most of her life, what it was like to move bases constantly, and why she'd chosen to attend The Point when she could have done anything. "Growing up in a military family kind of... shapes you," She admitted. "You learn that country comes first before anything else, even family, and it's not uncommon for them to subconsciously push you towards joining."

"How?" Ela asked as Jo took a bite of her slice; she swallowed before speaking.

"Military families tend to equal legacies; my ancestors served in the military for years- all the way down the line; my brothers and I also served. In this timeline, I'm the only one out of the service; in my original timeline, my oldest brothers still served and my older brother Luca was killed in Afghan II not long after the towers fell; in my Alternate timeline, Luca had gotten out of the service and was married with kids, and Davie was the only one still serving as military; Ricco was an Army medic turned civilian doctor who could still face deployment; I was only the only one out of the service, but who still worked for the government. I'm not going to say that the military's horrible, because my family is military, my ancestry is military- on my side, your ancestry is- and I'm proud to have served, but... it just puts a lot of strain on families in the service, especially when those serving come home wounded or dead." The girls shared glances, unsure of what to say.

With what could be considered lunch out of the way, they put _Harry Potter_ on and spent the first couple of movies debating the merits of muggles actually knowing about magic versus not knowing- a debate Ela and Cate lost when Jo pointed out that witches had be persecuted for centuries, because people 'fear what they don't understand and can't control,' and that keeping the muggle world and the wizarding world separate was more out of means of protection to those who practiced magic than anything else; at one point, Zane called to let them know he'd be late and check up on them- promising to be home as close to dinner as possible so to not disrupt their normal routine, but no guarantees.

By the fourth movie, the four Donovan girls had moved into the kitchen; the girls were surprised to discover that Jo had quite a knack and enjoyment for baking. Like Zane, she enjoyed taking raw ingredients and turning them into something delicious; she taught the girls how to make homemade fudge and showed them how to make two-ingredient chocolate mousse- which resulted in a food fight that Jo's white sweats _barely_ made it out of alive.

As the Donovans' AI, AIDA took great pride in making sure all cameras and electronics worked in the house; it also meant that she occasionally recorded little moments that she found enduring or sweet to show her humans later- in this case, the sight of Jo tweaking Cate's nose with mousse, only to get covered in flour by Ela and cocoa powder by Anna; the laughter and high jinks was rare in the Donovan house, but AIDA hoped that with this new version of Jo around, there would be a lot more- more laughter, more happiness, and _certainly_ more love, because her humans deserved all of it and so much more. She recorded the fight and quickly sent it to Zane knowing it would make him smile to see his girls getting along.

The sound of thunder caused everyone to pause, and the girls took that as their cue to clean up their mess. Of course, the serum had been working its way out of Jo's system over the course of the day, and it slowly began to dawn on her that she'd most likely made a fool of herself at work, traumatized her girls, and that her husband had ordered their smart house to keep her under house arrest, all without her consent-

"What's wrong, Mama?" Ela asked; they sat around the island as Jo taught them how to make ham, cheese and mushroom stuffed ravioli from scratch, and all three had noticed her shift in mood.

"I've been under house arrest this entire afternoon, haven't I?"

The girls shared glances. "Did you not know that?" Cate asked, confused.

"I don't remember-"

_"Zane did say that blackouts were one of the side effects, Jo-"_

" _Thank you, AIDA_." She replied, handing the girls each a fork after showing them how to create the ridges; she then set the bowl in the center of the island and worked on cutting up the rest of the mushrooms. A sigh escaped her throat; Jo _hated_ losing gaps of time, it reminded her of what had brought about her discharge from the military and her PTSD, and took away the control she so desperately needed. As they listened to the first part of _Deathly Hallows_ play on the TV, sitting at the island with cups of hot cider, listening to Jo tell stories of spending childhood summers in Manhattan, the storm picked up. By the time they put the ravioli in to bake, the rain was coming down hard.

They all heard the front door swing open, and all four Donovan girls turned towards it as lightning split the sky. A moment passed, before the girls turned to Jo. A look of annoyance crossed her pretty features, and she stopped working on the salad as her husband entered the house. He was soaked through to the skin, not having grabbed an umbrella because when he'd left the house, there was no call for rain, let alone a late fall storm. "You're _dripping_ all over my floor."

Three heads of raven hair snapped to see how their father would react especially given the day he'd had- not just in regards to Jo and the love potion incident, but the shit show that had become GD when some _idiot_ had released the monkeys from the aggression lab, _and_ the genetically modified flying rabbits from the human flight lab, which resulted in an elaborate capture plan that had gone haywire because _what didn't go haywire in this God-forsaken town?_

Zane shook his head and rolled his eyes as he made his way into the kitchen; clearly the serum had finally worn off. He expected her to be annoyed, but she sounded pissed- and he had a feeling it had to do with AIDA keeping her locked in on his orders. " _Hello_ usually comes first." He replied, as the small paring knife she'd been using clattered to the cutting board and she turned, going to the fridge and grabbing something out of it with a snippy,

" _Wipe your feet._ "

"The serum finally wore off, I see." She glared at him as he came around the island, passing by Ela with a squeeze to his youngest daughter's shoulder. "All your cylinders back properly now? Neurons firing correctly? Don't have the urge to _kiss the sheriff again_ , do you? Or maybe Deputy Andy this time?"

A moment passed, as Jo set the bowl with the lettuce down with a thud and finally managed, "What are you talkin' about?"

Zane scoffed; he understood the serum caused blackouts and that she probably wouldn't _remember_ kissing Carter in the infirmary, but he couldn't get the image out of his head, no matter how satisfying the sight of Carter with a bandage over his nose was. "Don't tell me you don't _remember_?" He bit, snidely. "It looked like true love today."

Jo glanced at the girls with a shake of her head, and they tried to hide nervous giggles. "You're father's decided to be _irrational_ tonight."

"Damn it, Jo!" He grabbed her waist, tugging her towards him until they were inches apart. "I didn't like that- seeing you kiss Carter today in the infirmary! You're _my_ wife! _Mine_ , not his! Allison's supposed to kiss him, not _you_!"

"I'm married to you, Zane Matthew, and only you! Whatever happened today, if it looked like anything, it was probably _temporary insanity!_ " She reached up, hands resting on his chest to push him away.

"Well, I _didn't_ like _it,_ " He ground out. "I didn't like it at all."

She sighed, "Zane, I'm in _your_ bed every night; those are _your_ children I gave birth to." She gestured to the girls. "What more do you want from me?" When she got no response, she pulled away, but he yanked her back and took her mouth in his; it was deep, searching, _possessive_ and after, when they slowly broke apart, he met her gaze and whispered,

"That, I liked. _That_ , I want. And I want to make sure you'll _never_ do it with any other man but me; this isn't a _game_ , Josephina- this is our _marriage_ , our family. I spent half of my marriage watching _her_ play around, only to decide divorce was what she wanted before you two swapped; _forgive me_ if I want to make sure the _woman_ in my _bed_ every night _isn't_ going to go off and decide to marry someone else-"

"Marry someone else?" She shook her head with a scoff as he rested his forehead to hers. "I married _you_ , didn't I?" Before the words could fan the flames of hurt and worry, she reached up, caressing his face. " _Regardless_ of _her_ circumstances and choices, she still married you- and therefore, _I_ married _you_. And I don't need any other man _but_ you," She kissed him softly, nuzzling against his cheek before her eyes slid open and she remembered- and shoved him back firmly with a glare. " _You_ locked _me in the house_!"

A moment passed, before Zane shook his head, glancing at each of his daughters and remembering the horrified looks on their faces before turning back to her. "It was for _your_ own good, Mrs. Donovan- and the sanity of our daughters."


	51. Chapter 51

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: If you decide it's going to be Stoned, make it Stoned- don't go the artifact route, though I guess this is a good way to bring in/mention one of the Donovan girls' elusive relatives; and it's not a crossover

"And this is tradition?"

"Jenna wanted to have breakfast with us for her birthday one year, and so Allison and Carter invited us over for birthday breakfast with our niece; after Cate was born, it became a thing and it's since snowballed from there." Jo nodded in understanding as they followed the girls down the stairs to the door of the bunker; it swung open and Cate darted inside, throwing her arms around Allison in a hug.

"Happy birthday, Catie Cat," Allison told her, holding her oldest niece close and pressing a kiss to the black curls. "you excited for tonight?"

"Kind of; I wish I didn't have to go to school though; it is my birthday, after all." She made a point of turning to her parents as they entered the bunker and the door swung closed behind them.

"Nice try, pup, but you say that _every_ year, and _every_ year the answer is still _no_." Zane replied as the door swung closed behind them; Kevin, Zoe and Jenna each gave the oldest Donovan daughter hugs and wishes as Carter worked on pancakes. Despite two days having passed since the Love Potion incident, Zane still wasn't willing to forgive Carter that quickly, however, he _was_ willing to be civil for the sake of his daughter's birthday, knowing how important the day was to Cate- even though the teenager played it off like no big deal.

"Do we have to eat Uncle Jack's cooking?" Anna asked, as SARAH poured several glasses of orange juice, and they all watched as he flipped the pancakes. "Auntie Allie's cooking is better and she always makes the pancakes."

"Annaleigh." Jo chided gently as the girl shrugged; as if to make the point, Carter's pancakes hit the ceiling and stayed there.

" _That's_ why you don't cook," Jo joked lightly as they joined the others at the island; she snagged something from one of the bowls on the counter and popped it into her mouth, chewing for a couple minutes before a look of disgust crossed her face and she grabbed a paper napkin. "Act'ally, _that's_ why you don't cook-" She quickly spit whatever she'd been eating into the napkin and tossed it in the trash to the laughter of the others. "Honestly, Al, I don't see how you allow that husband of yours to make anything other than cereal."

"We can't all be married to handsome men who enjoy being in the kitchen, Jo." Her best friend replied with a smirk. "How are you feeling?" She caught the look between the pair and noticed how Zane slid his hand along the the dip in her waist above her hips, but didn't say anything.

"Like myself." The younger woman replied, and the Medical Director smiled at them as Carter sighed and set the spatula down, turning to the girls.

"Who wants cereal?" Every hand rose except for Cate's, who had been looking forward to the cannoli pancakes Allison always made her every year for her birthday. Cate was like her father- Zane preferred French toast over pancakes- but the Allison's cannoli pancakes were the one exception to the pancake rule, and the thought of not having them this for her birthday this year made her want to cry.

"But... but my pancakes..." She turned to Allison pouting. "Auntie Allie, _please_!"

The adults shared a glance before Allison sighed. "Okay, since it's tradition."

By the time they dropped the girls off at school, Cate had already received phone calls from both her grandmother in Boston and all her uncles overseas. She continued to receive well wishes into the day, and at one point was called to the principal's office because there was a package for her. It was during lunch that Cate was finally able to open it. "What is it, Catie?" Anna asked, as Tabby Rose and Ela joined them at the table; the Harrington siblngs passed by just as Cate pulled opened the small card attached to the brightly wrapped box.

_"'Dear Catie,_

_Grandma tells me my oldest niece is celebrating a big birthday today! Every girl needs a little something to make her stand out on her special day- I saw this in an antique shop and thought of you; I hope you get this in time for your birthday and that you enjoy this special day- and remember to give Daddy a hug for me_. _I promise, I'll do a better job of keeping in touch from now on!_

_Happy Birthday, sweetie!_

_Love, Auntie Claudia'"_

Claudia Donovan was her father's elusive younger sister- all Daddy ever told them was that they were half-siblings and that up until a few years ago, he'd been able to keep tabs on her before she disappeared and he came to Eureka; though she occasionally sent a card or letter and small gifts on birthdays and Christmas, Zane hadn't seen his little sister in years. Quickly, Cate set the card aside and tore open the wrapping paper; removing the lid revealed a pendant in the shape of an egg in a really pretty sky blue color to match her eyes.

"Catie, it's so pretty!" Ela cried, as her sister parted the long chain and slipped it over her head.

"Nice necklace, Cate," The girl turned, meeting Walker's gaze as he passed by and she blushed. As lunch ended, she tucked the card and packaging back into her bag and the necklace under her shirt, having no idea just how strange a turn her birthday would take-

As she followed the other students through the halls of Tesla towards her next class, she couldn't help feeling an overwhelming sense of worry and confusion come over her; Anna stopped, turning back to her sister. "Catie? What's wrong?" The older girl looked around, before turning to her sister.

"Nothing, Annie, nothing." And then she hurried down the hall towards her class, books held tight to her chest; Anna watched her go, debating on whether she should call Mama and Daddy or leave her sister be. Preferring to be on the safe side, she called Mama and Daddy.


	52. Chapter 52

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And now we find out exactly who the egg pendant belonged to and where Zane's little sister has been

_"Dancing Bears_   
_Painted Wings_   
_Things I almost remember._   
_And a song someone sings_   
_Once upon a December._

_Someone holds me safe and warm._   
_Horses prance through a silver storm._   
_Figures dancing gracefully across my memory."_

_\- Once Upon a December,_

_Anastasia Soundtrack_

The teacher making the rounds in the halls looked up as the Donovans came rushing into the lobby, worry written all over their faces. "Mr. and Mrs. Donovan-"

"Where are they?" Jo demanded, and the woman furrowed a brow; she had been told to keep all students into their classrooms until whatever had been going on in the West wing bathroom had been taken care of-

 _"Daddy!"_ The pair turned as Anna rushed towards them from the girls' bathroom; she threw herself into Jo's arms.

"Annaleigh, what's going on? When we got your call-"

"Catie's in the bathroom, Daddy! She's locked herself in a stall and won't-" But the girl was cut off by the screaming and her parents took off down the hall towards it; several of the teachers not in classes were gathered around the door but none had gone in.

"Mr. and Mrs. Donovan-"

"Principal Wallace, what's going on-"

"We can't get Caterina to come out of the bathroom; she's barricaded herself in, but she keeps saying she wants her parents-" The principal had been trying for the last forty-five minutes to get the girl to calm down and come out to no avail; while they hadn't declared a lockdown, she had asked all teachers to keep their students in their classrooms until it got sorted out.

Without hearing another word, Jo pushed her way through the adults, knocking smartly on the door after trying to open it with no luck. "Cate? Catie, sweetie, it's me; it's Mama- can you let me in? Please?"

After what seemed like an eternity, the bathroom door clicked open and Jo slipped inside, shutting it softly behind her. She found the teenager sitting on the floor beneath one of the sinks, sobbing. "Catie? Sweetie? Can you look at me?" The girl turned terrified blue eyes to her and Jo saw the blatant fear on her oldest daughter's face. She held up her hands as she moved towards the girl, who pressed herself closer to the wall in fear.

_"Please don't hurt me, please! Let me go! Please!"_

"I'm not gonna hurt you, Catie; I wouldn't _dream_ of hurting you- you're my daughter, I love you." She quickly unbuttoned her blazer and removed the handgun from the holster at her back to set it aside, and the girl covered her head and curled up screaming at the sight of the gun...

It took a moment before Jo realized the connection between the gun and her daughter's reaction and when she did, she removed her blazer and wrapped it around the handgun, setting it in the sink before kneeling in front of the girl. _"It's okay! It's okay! Catie! Catie, look! I don't have anything! See? My hands are empty! My hands are empty-"_ When the girl finally managed to calm down and actually look at her, she threw her arms around the Security Director, sobbing.

 _"Mama! They won't let us go! They said they were going to take a picture- so everyone would know we're still okay- and then they left; they locked us in and we can't get out-"_ Jo held the girl close, letting her speak, knowing it was best to keep her talking so she could better assess the situation. _"They already killed Papa and Olenka and Tanechka! They're going to kill Nastaska and Alexei and I next- Mama, I'm scared!"_

After a moment, Jo pulled away to meet her daughter's gaze and her sight lit on the chain around her neck; it hadn't been there that morning when they'd gone to breakfast at the smart house. But before she could ask about it, Cate pulled away, doubling over in pain; Jo moved to sit her back against the wall, paling at the sight of the blood soaking through her daughter's clothes and immediately grabbed her blazer, pressing it against the impact site.

 _"Zane! Zane!"_ She heard the door open and her husband stop at the sight before him. _"Call an ambulance and hurry! Catie's been shot!"_

Once on the way to GD, Zane pulled Anna and Ela from class and gathered up Cate's book bag; the car ride was quiet and the walk to the infirmary even more so. When they got there, they found Cate sedated and Jo arguing with Allison.

 _"I'm telling you, Jo_ _, Cate wasn't shot! There are no_ bullets anywhere _in her body!"_

 _"Then how do you account for the blood_ _, Al!_ Something _happened to my baby girl otherwise she wouldn't be_ bleeding _like she is!"_

_"But she wasn't shot! That's what I'm trying to say! And even if she was, shootings don't account for the stab wounds either!"_

"What stab wounds?" Both women turned to the young Section Five Director as he joined them, his younger daughters clinging tight to his hands. "Have you figured out what's wrong with Catie?" Allison sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"She's bleeding like she's been shot multiple times but there are no bullets and not bullet wounds; it also looks like she's been stabbed repeatedly but there are no stab marks, just blood." Zane ran a hand through his hair as Anna went to her sister's bed and set her book bag on the end as Jo took a seat beside the bed.

"She said something about taking a picture and being locked in and unable to get out," Jo reached out and took the girl's hand, gently stroking her knuckles.

"But she was in the bathroom- sure, there's only one entrance and exit, but it's easy to get out of." Zane replied as he went to Jo's side, rubbing her back gently.

"Yeah, but she was acting like she wasn't even _in_ the bathroom- like she was somewhere else," She bit her lip. "She said something about 'Papa and Olenka and Tan- Tanechka being killed and that she and Nastaska and Alexei were next,' but I-" She shrugged, the names not ringing a bell at all, though they rang a bell for Zane.

"Those are nicknames." The two women turned to him, confused. "They're Russian nicknames; my maternal grandmother's name was Tatiana but everyone in the family called her Tanechka, and Olenka is a diminutive of Alexandra but it can a diminutive of Olga- my mother's older sister was named Olga but she was Olenka to the family; if we go that route, then Nastaska is probably a diminutive of something like Anastasia-" He stopped and they saw the wheels in his head grind to a halt. "Oh God, I think I know what's going on-"

"Well would you explain it to us?" Jo asked, reaching up to wipe the tears off her cheeks.

He turned to his younger daughters. "Annie, did anything unusual happen before you called us?" The girl furrowed a brow, confused as he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her gently; safe to say the twelve-year-old was just a little traumatized by the turn the day had taken. "Annaleigh! Did anything happen with your sister before she locked herself in the bathroom and you called us!"

"She got a package from Auntie Claudia, Daddy." Ela spoke up and the adults turned to the younger girl.

"Aunt Claudia?" Jo glanced at her husband; Zane shrugged. "I thought you didn't know where she was-"

"I don't," Zane cut her off. "But we get cards and gifts from her every year; just because I don't know _where_ my baby sister is doesn't mean she can't get in contact with us- she has our address; I'm sure Mom gave it to her." He turned to Ela. "Does she still have the card?"

Anna dug into her sister's bag, pulling out the card, box and wrapping paper and the little brown packaging it came in; she handed it to her father, who quickly looked everything over before his gaze lit on the note in the card. "There, see," Allison and Jo gathered around him, reading it over his shoulder. " _'... I saw this in an antique shop and thought of you'_... Catie loves antique jewelry; it's one of the things she has in common with Claudia, so it makes sense that Claud would send her something from an antique shop for her birthday."

"But what was in the box?" Jo asked, examining the card and wrapping paper.

"A pendant," The adults turned to Anna; she stood by her sister's bedside. "It was an egg pendant."

"Catie put it on immediately after opening the box." Ela added, as Jo went to the other side of the bed; the chain around the girl's neck she'd seen earlier in the bathroom now made sense, and she grabbed a pair of gloves before reaching out and gently tugging on the chain being, careful of the blood. After a couple minutes of resistance, the pendant appeared and she held it up, glancing at Anna who nodded, before she turned to Allison and Zane.

"It's beautiful," Allison replied. "But I don't understand how an ordinary pendant could make Catie act so-"

"That's because it's probably not an ordinary pendant." Zane replied, pulling up something on his data pad; he took a quick photo of the pendant as it dangled from Jo's fingers before inputting something else into the pad and running a quick search. "It's got to be connected to someone."

"Wait, you mean it's an artifact?" Jo asked, gently lowering the pendant back down and resting it against Cate's skin. She remembered when Claudia Donovan had come to visit in the other timeline and the chaos that had ensued- it was the day she'd ended up with that Aviation Tracer in her chest. But she didn't know the relationship with the Warehouse in this timeline-

"I think it might be," Zane replied, checking the scan; at her confused look he clarified, "Eureka works closely with the Warehouse; sometimes artifacts find their way into a scientist's hands and then... well... chaos ensues-"

"Our Eureka has had a tight relationship with the Warehouse since Eureka was founded; they were both founded about the same time in the fifties, and the first Caretaker of the Warehouse was actually a scientist from Eureka named Carl McPherson." Allison added, as Zane's data pad beeped, indicating the search was finished.

He sighed, holding the pad out to his wife, who glanced at him and took it. "Wait... this says that it's... it belonged to one of the daughters of _Nicholas II of Russia_."

"It's Maria Romanov's egg pendant." Zane replied. "Which explains _why_ she was talking about Olenka and Tanechka and Nastaska- they were Maria's sisters, and they died alongside her in that house in the Russian countryside."

"But how did a _Romanov pendant_ end up in an antique shop in _America_?" Jo asked, handing the data pad back.

"Over sixty billion dollars worth of jewels and gold went missing after they were executed. It could have ended up anywhere." Anna said, and Jo turned to the middle girl. "I was born on July eighteenth- it was the day they were executed." She shrugged.

"Annie's always had a bit of an _unhealthy_ obsession with the Romanovs." Zane replied, glancing at his middle daughter.

"It's not unhealthy to learn about the past, Daddy, it's important."

"It's unhealthy when you collect _every_ book, documentary and movie every made about them," Her father replied. "it's why the bookshelves in her room are so deep- so she can store all her Romanov books in one room instead of having them spread all over the house."

"Like you're unhealthy obsession with Mama's matching underwear?" Anna shot back, crossing her arms over her chest as she raised an eyebrow at her father in a scary imitation of Jo.

"First off, _how_ do you even know Mama's underwear matches? And second, it's not an obsession, it's a _fetish_ ; there's a _difference_ -"

"No, there's-"

All right children, _that's enough!_ " Jo stepped in between them as Allison tried to hold back a laugh. " _Bigger issues here!_ Our oldest daughter is suffering from wounds she _didn't sustain_ because of a pendant _your_ sister sent her for her birthday-" She rounded on her husband.

Zane sighed. "Claud wouldn't do this, not deliberately. If she sent the pendant, it was because she thought it was cool and that Catie would love it; I doubt she understood the significance of it, or what it would do. Claud doesn't have a malicious bone in her body- especially not towards family."

"Okay, then let's take it off her-" But Zane grabbed Jo's hand before she could remove the necklace.

"We can't justify _take it off_ her, babe, we don't know what it could do if we just remove it. We need to call the Warehouse-"

"I already did; and I let them know it was urgent. One of the agents should be here in a couple hours." Allison said; as soon as she'd realized that it was an artifact, she'd hurried off and called Artie at the Warehouse.

Two hours later, they looked up at the sound of footsteps as Rowley brought the agent from the Warehouse; Zane started, unable to hide the surprise as he laid eyes on his baby sister. _"Claudia?"_

The younger Donovan flashed the Vulcan salute at her older brother with a sheepish grin. "'Sup, big bro."


	53. Chapter 53

_"Claudia?"_

She had grown up in the intervening years since the siblings had parted ways; she'd always been small, and that hadn't changed over the years, but she'd filled out more and lost a lot of her girlish figure. She reminded him of Jo- really petite, yet scrappy- but with the Donovan penchant for trouble that his daughters had also inherited. She'd chopped her hair to her chin and had streaked it with multiple shades of blue, and while she still wore her familiar Converse and skinny jeans, she'd taken to wearing blouses with button up vests. Zane didn't know whether to hug her or slap her upside the head at the moment, so he settled for, " _You're_ the agent the Warehouse sent?"

"Long time no see, Zanie." He narrowed his gaze at her. "Doctor Blake said that there was an artifact-"

"Yeah, the necklace you sent my daughter for her birthday!" He handed her the data pad and the younger woman paled.

"Oh, God, Zanie, I'm so sorry, I... I didn't know! I was out looking for a birthday present for Catie cause Mom called and reminded me that her birthday was coming up, and I came across the pendant and... I bought it for ten bucks at a little antique shop cause I thought she'd like it; I didn't know it was connected to the daughter of the Romanovs-" Her gaze scanned over the information on the data pad and she swallowed hard as she noticed the defining feature- _"(possibly one of the jewels sewn into the girl's corset the night of the massacre)"_ \- which absolutely would have tied the girl, the pendant and the major defining event together to create an artifact.

She handed the data pad to her brother and reached into her pocket, pulling out a pair of purple gloves and a silvery-looking bag. "The Romanovs were massacred in the basement of a farmhouse in the summer of nineteen-eighteen; it was rumored that the children survived the initial onslaught of the massacre because they'd sewn their jewelry into their corsets and clothing, and that _that_ was why they survived; that _that_ was what made it an actual massacre. And when they took the bodies out, one of the girls was still alive and she cried out and they killed her, and then just before they burned the bodies, they undressed them and found the jewelry. Rumors persisted for years that the children had escaped because they couldn't _find_ the bodies, but they found all but two children in nineteen-ninety-one, and the last two were found in two-thousand-eight-"

"As _fascinating_ as that is, Claud, I don't _exactly_ care about the history lesson right now; I'm a _little more concerned_ with the fact that my _child_ is bleeding from wounds she sustained thanks to an unrealized artifact! So _please_ , any help would be _greatly appreciated!_ " Jo stood, going to her husband and sliding her arms around him from behind, and resting her cheek against the broadness of his back as she reached a hand up and gently trailed her fingers through his hair in attempt to calm him down; she understood why Zane was so worried.

In the two hours it took for Claudia to arrive, Cate's condition had worsened; the longer she wore the necklace, the worse it would get, and they couldn't do anything about it because it wasn't something Eureka could control- it was strictly Warehouse Thirteen territory. The surprise of Zane's sister being the agent sent to help solve the problem only furthered to make an already worrying situation worse. Not because Claudia had sent the necklace, but because she and Zane had had so little contact over the last few years, but Claudia clearly knew _exactly_ what was going on with his marriage thanks to their mother. They watched as Claudia reached for the chain and then pulled back. She cocked her head.

"What are you doing, Auntie Claudia?" Ela asked, as she and Anna stood on the other side of the bed across from their parents.

"Artifacts will resist being touched by anyone not directly connected with it-"

"But I picked up the chain earlier and it didn't do anything-" Jo spoke up from behind Zane, as she continued to stroke her fingers through his hair.

"Nice to see you're _actually_ being an attentive _wifey_ to Zanie for _once_ , Jujyfruit," Claudia cut in, pulling a small pocket knife from her jacket and opening it up; Jo furrowed a brow in confusion. "Mom told me about what's been going on between you and Zanie and how you've been chasin' round on him, and _neither_ of us _appreciate_ it-"

"Claud, _not now_." Zane ground out, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Please, can we just _focus_ on getting that _thing_ off my daughter?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" The younger woman asked, taking the chain between two fingers and opening the small pliers attached to her pocket knife. "The chain isn't the problem; the artifact is the pendant. This is the chain it was on when I bought it; I didn't bother switching it because I figured Catie would appreciate it the way it was. I didn't know it was a missing piece of Romanov jewelry; I should have done my research. If I'd known, I would have neutralized it and gotten her something else. That's my bad, Zanie..."

_"I don't care! Just get it off of her!"_

"Shh... shh... easy, babe... easy."

"She should return to normal once she's separated from the artifact." Once the chain was cut, Claudia reached for the pendant and pulled it gently off the broken piece of chain; the blue guilloche enamel shone in the lights of the infirmary, and slowly, Claudia opened the bag and dropped it in, quickly turning away as purple sparks shot out of the bag.

It took a bit for Cate to come out of it. But once she did, she was surprised to find her parents, sisters and- "Auntie Claudia?" The Warehouse agent grinned at her niece as she tucked the bag behind her back; best not to let the girl know what was going on; it would only upset her- especially since Cate thought her being close with Claudia was the reason Daddy and her aunt weren't close, not understanding that time and circumstances had torn the half-siblings apart. "What're you doing here?"

"Hey Catidid, your Daddy called and said you were havin' a birthday today,"

"He did?" She nodded.

"So I figured I'd come see you; I got the okay from Daddy's work and my work of course." Cate glanced at her parents; Jo hadn't moved from where she leaned against Zane's back, her arms firmly wrapped around his waist, his hands on hers as they swayed gently back and forth.

"Did Daddy tell you that he and Mama are back together?" The girl asked, and Claudia glanced at her brother.

"He didn't, unfortunately."

"Mama's different. She's not from here; she's from another timeline."

The older woman raised an eyebrow as she heard her brother inhale sharply, and turned to him. _"Really?_ Something you want to tell me, Zanie?"


	54. Chapter 54

They ended up telling Claudia everything- partially because Cate had already spilled the beans, but also because she was family and needed to know that things had changed in her brother's marriage and Claudia told him what had been going on with her for the last few years and why she'd seemingly vanished.

"I work for a top secret government warehouse that houses the most _dangerous_ magical artifacts known to _man_ ; if I haven't spilled the beans about that _yet_ , I'm _not_ going to spill the beans about your younger alternate-timeline wifey; what kind of woman do you think I am?" She asked in mock hurt. A small smile tugged at her lips and she shoved him playfully. "As long as alternate-Jujyfruit is good to you and the girls, that's all Mom and I care about." Zane sneered at his sister's nickname for his wife; no one was even really sure of _where_ it had come from, but Claudia refused to change it, like her childhood nickname for her brother.

When Allison had given Cate the all-clear, they'd taken the girls home and Jo had sent Cate upstairs immediately to rest; they were still allowing her to have her birthday party, because it was her birthday, she just needed to take it careful and Cate promised she would. The party was at seven down at Cafe Diem, and around five-thirty Jo had gone upstairs to check on the girl, leaving the siblings downstairs.

The pair sat at the island catching up over coffee. "I'm sorry I haven't kept in better touch, Zanie."

"You dropped off the planet, Claud," Zane replied, setting his cup down sharply as he heard two sets of feet come downstairs; Anna wore a pair of jeans and a sea-green tunic top and Ela had a denim skirt and a yellow top with capped sleeves on. "I searched for you even _after_ I came to Eureka. If it wasn't for the cards and gifts and letters, I wouldn't even know if you were dead or alive."

"I know Zanie, and I'm sorry, I just-" She stopped at his glare; her brother had every right to be pissed and she didn't blame him. But on that same front, she had every right to be pissed at him for not telling her about what had happened with his wife; how their mother had managed to raise them without burying them both was a miracle. Just as Zane opened his mouth to speak, someone cleared their throat.

"Mama, you look so pretty!" Both siblings turned at Ela's exclamation, and Zane felt his brain grind to a halt.

The sight of his wife in a very pretty strapless, sweetheart-cut black dress with pink tulle underskirt and a pair of heels made him think of their disastrous first date when she'd shown up in that white sundress with her hair down and he'd given her a rose. She wore her hair down with this dress, too, and had done her makeup lightly.

"Damn, Zanie!" Claudia clapped a hand on her brother's back with a low whistle in Jo's direction. "Alternate-timeline wifey's a babe! You know that, right?" Jo snorted softly, and met her sister-in-law's gaze as both women laughed. "Okay, alternate-Jujyfruit, you officially _broke_ my brother- which I never thought I would ever see happen and have always been dying to, by the way, so thank you for this."

"Our daughter wanted me to distract you,and I'd say I did a pretty good job-"

"Why distract me?" Zane asked, finally coming back to his senses and Jo bit her lip, glancing behind her as the oldest girl came down the stairs and into the kitchen; Zane suddenly realized why Cate had asked her mother to come downstairs and distract him.

She wore a hot pink party dress with a halter top and a full skirt that fell to just above her knees and there was a black tulle under the skirt to give it a more full appearance; she had a pair of low black heels on and had her hair pulled back in a high ponytail, the curls tumbling down her shoulders; her makeup was subtle, like her mother's and she had her hands hidden nervously in the pockets of the dress. "Well, what do you think?" Jo asked, slipping her arm through Cate's and tugging her closer; she reached up, brushing one of the little baby hairs off her forehead. "Our oldest baby's grown up pretty gorgeous, has she?" She smiled softly at Cate, tucking her fingers under her daughter's chin and the girl blushed.

Seeing them standing together, Zane was reminded of exactly _how much_ like his wife his oldest daughter was; her eyes and a few of her features may have been his, but ultimately, she was _all_ Jo; had been from the moment she'd been born-

"Daddy?" Cate swallowed nervously. "Aren't you going to say anything?" She glanced at Jo and the others before looking down at the dress and back to Zane. "Mama said I could wear the dress for the party; I can change if you don't want me to-"

"It's not the dress, Caterina," Zane whispered, taking a deep breath and Jo saw why he'd taken so long to respond; the sight of his little girl in the dress for her party had caught him off guard, choked him up and brought him to tears. "you look beautiful, pup," He told her, swallowing thickly; Cate turned to Jo, who gently pushed her towards Zane. A moment passed, before she curled into her father's arms and he held her close, pressing a kiss to her head. "When did you grow up so? One minute I'm watching Auntie Allie lay you just-born in Mama's arms, and then I blinked and you're turning _fourteen_ ," He kissed her head again and Cate burrowed further into his embrace as he gently rubbed her back. "You need to stop growing up, please."

Claudia looked around as soft music began to play, and Jo rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "You okay, AIDA?"

 _"I just find it hard to believe our Catie's growing up._ _"_ The house replied in as close to a choked voice as an AI could manage; Zane chuckled dryly, pulling away from his daughter.

"Tell me about it."

It was a cool night and they walked the short distance to Cafe Diem; Claudia was thrilled to meet Vincent, who delighted in fixing her the perfect drink, and Cate was instantly engulfed in hugs and well wishes from friends and family. With the party soon in full swing, Zane tugged Jo into a quiet corner to watch; his arms slid around her waist from behind, and he pressed a kiss to her head. "Catie's having a good time; after the day she's had, she deserves it." He nodded against her hair, and she reached up to cradle his head, tangling her fingers in his hair. "You've done a good job raising her these fourteen years, Zane; don't ever doubt that."

"I couldn't do it without you-" She turned in his arms, meeting his gaze.

"But you did; even if _she_ was here, she still wasn't a mother; essentially, you were a single parent, even though you were married, and you've done _amazing_ with them. Don't ever doubt that, babe."

He smiled softly. "I'm _still_ so grateful to have you, Jojo; I don't know what I did to deserve having you come into my life at the right moment, but-"

She reached up, resting a finger against his lips. "I know." The kiss was gentle and soft, and he nuzzled against her with a soft chuckle. The pair broke apart and joined the others when Vincent brought out the cake. The girl looked up as Zane and Jo sidled up on either side of her; she buried her face in her hands as everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' to her, and slowly lifted her head when the song finished, embarrassed. Of the three Donovan daughters, Cate hated being the center of attention; it wasn't necessarily embarrassing, she just felt that being the center of attention was uncalled for when she wasn't really that interesting- in all honesty, Cate saw herself as the boring one of the family.

Mama wasn't only a secret millionairess with 'Doctor of Psychology' to her name, a former ex-Special Forces badass Lieutenant General, _and_ the Director of Security _but was also_ from an Alternate timeline; Daddy had been a felon at one time, before using his powers for good, and was not only the Director of Section Five, but a Nobel Laureate with several published papers to his name; Aunt Claudia had spent time in a mental institution and worked at _Warehouse Freaking Thirteen_ ; all _three_ of her maternal uncles were serving overseas, and her maternal grandfather had been a five star general when he was alive; throw in that her paternal grandmother had a doctorate in law and worked for one of the top law firms in Boston, and that her maternal great-grandmother had been one of the first women to get her pilot's license and served as a WASP during the Second World War- and, well, Cate felt fairly ordinary compared to the rest of her family; the older generations, at least. True, she was only fourteen and had years ahead of her, but still, in a town like Eureka where achievement was measured by the number of papers published, Nobels won, awards given out and patents to the name, it was almost expected that the younger generations would be able to live up to the town's genius standards- and as the daughter of two of the town's smartest- Cate felt grossly inadequate. She glanced at her mother and Jo gently brushed her hair of her shoulder.

"Blow out your candles and make a wish, pup," She glanced at Zane, who nodded.

Make a wish?

There were _so many_ things she could wish for- a million dollars, to live forever, to never age, to find true love- but if she were honest, she wanted none of that. Instead, her thoughts turned to Daddy and what he'd been through the last few years with Mama, and how Jo's arrival in their timeline had turned the entire family upside down, but especially Daddy. He was smiling more, laughing more, more relaxed and content, more willing to listen and consider, but perhaps most of all, he was in love-

With Jo.

The younger version of her mother was everything a mother _should_ be; everything her mother _hadn't_ been. She recognized and understood what they'd gone through- the neglect they'd suffered at the hands of the woman who'd given birth to them, and how Daddy had tried his _hardest_ to keep the family together while she blatantly turned her back. Jo made their family complete; she brought a light back to Daddy's eyes Cate hadn't seen in years- Jo made him happy and for one simple fact-

She loved him.

Jo had _always_ loved Zane; no matter the timeline, no matter the year, no matter the age or family situation or universe, Jo loved Zane.

It was just common knowledge, like Newton's third law.

In any timeline, and universe, parallel or normal, Jo belonged _with_ Zane and loved Zane-

And by extension, because they were hers, she loved Cate and her sisters and accepted them because they were a part of her.

She was the glue that held the family together, that held Daddy together.

And these last six months or so, she had done everything possible- even listen to horrible, malicious whispered rumors that they _knew_ weren't true about her- to prove to not just Zane and them, but the town, that what her counterpart had done was a blip on the radar, a bump in the road, and that she loved Zane. She had done everything to not just turn the town's _perception_ of their marriage, but their marriage, around and so far, had done a pretty good job at succeeding.

And she had done it by simply being herself and making Daddy fall in love with her, while she was falling in love with him.

They were happy together, and Cate wanted nothing more than for them to have that happiness forever.

So make a wish?

She glanced between them, catching the looks they cast over her head, how they each laid a hand on her back and their fingers overlapped. Jo's voice cut through her thoughts. "Catie," She turned to her. "Trying to think of a wish, baby girl?" She felt her gently fuss with the baby hairs at her hairline and nodded; Jo glanced at Zane, who chuckled, and she leaned close, forehead resting against Cate's. "Try this- think of the one thing you want more than anything else in the world, and then focus on a small part of that- something about it that's attainable in the near future, because once that comes true, eventually the rest of that unattainable wish will come true."

She knew what she wanted for her birthday wish, and it was standing right beside her, holding Daddy's hand as it rested on Cate's back.

Regardless of if Daddy was able to figure out how she got here and how to send her back, that was the last thing Cate wanted.

No, she wanted Jo to stay.

Permanently.

The girl nodded, glanced between her parents and then closed her eyes, blowing out all fifteen candles in one huff.


	55. Chapter 55

"Daddy?"

Zane looked up from his conversation with Henry and Grace to find Cate standing before him; Anna and Ela were helping Jo at the jukebox- and Zane knew exactly what the girl was asking. From the time she was three and she would dance balanced on the tops of his shoes, they had shared a special dance at her birthday. Zane glanced at Henry and Grace; both knew what Cate was asking, for they'd been at every birthday party from the time she was small, and they knew the importance of the song. "Go dance with your daughter, Zane; it's tradition."

The Section Five Director sighed. "Catie is nothing _but_ traditions."

Grace managed to take the drink from Zane as the teenager grabbed his hand and tugged him onto the makeshift dance floor, the familiar strains of N*SYNC's _'God Must Have Spent A Little More Time on You'_ beginning to play. AIDA had explained to Jo that it was Cate's special song- that when _she_ had been pregnant, Zane had played the song for the baby, and that every year since Cate's birth, Zane had danced with her to it; that when she was a baby, Zane would get up early, scoop her up out of her crib, take her downstairs to the study, and have AIDA play the song while he cradled his daughter against his shoulder and danced with her- and that it had evolved from there to the point where no birthday was complete until Cate had her special dance with Zane.

_"'Can this be true? Tell me can this be real?... My life was complete I thought I was whole... Never thought that love could feel like this... And you changed my world...'"_

She stumbled slightly in her heels, before Zane pulled her close. Automatically, Cate curled into him, resting her head on his chest, as his arms wrapped around her. Despite the turn her day had taken that morning, everything was immediately better now that she was in her Daddy's arms.

 _"You are the one that surpasses them all; more precious than any diamond or pearl, they broke the mold when you came in this world_... _"_

Zane sighed, it was absolutely true; though he loved all his girls, Cate had a special place in his heart. She was his oldest, his firstborn, the one who had captured his heart from the moment she was conceived, from the moment Jo had told him the test came back positive.

_"Come on, Jojo, you know you can tell if something's wrong-"_

_"It's positive."_

_"What's positive? I need a_ little more _context than just, 'it's positive,'Jojo."_

_"The test, Zane! It came back positive! I'm... I'm pregnant."_

_"You're... you're what?"_

_"I'm pregnant..."_

_"We... we're having a baby?"_

_"Yeah_ _,_ _we are."_

_"Oh Josephina, you don't know how happy you've made me... the gift you've given me."_

He pressed a kiss to her head _,_ tightening his hold on her.

_"'And I'm trying hard to figure out just how I ever did without..."'_

His life had certainly changed for the better when he'd discovered that Cate grew in her mother's womb. From that moment on, Zane's world had shifted, he'd gone from an almost solitary existence to having something to build a better life for. Somehow, someway, for some _reason_ , some long-forgotten deity he _didn't believe in_ had decided to drop him into fatherhood, and in the process, given him the most perfect, precious little girl in the world to be a father too. Sure, he'd made mistakes raising her, he'd made mistakes with her sisters also, but what man _didn't_ make mistakes when he was raising three beautiful, precocious little girls?

Despite everything that had gone on with _her_ in the last few years, he'd always put the girls first. No matter the arguments, the cold shoulders, the rumors and the weekends waking up to her gone off on her tryst, Zane had always made sure the girls had whatever they needed- be it supplies or clothes for school, a ride to ballet, a mental health day away from Eureka, or just a shoulder to cry on or a hug to burrow into, he'd been there, making sure his girls were healthy and happy and safe.

 _"You've done amazing raising them; don't ever doubt that_."

He met Jo's gaze across the cafe; Anna and Ela were curled into her arms. Even from across the cafe, he could see the tears glistening on her cheeks and she smiled softly. He turned his attention back to Cate, feeling her tighten her hold on him as she snuggled further into his arms.

_"'When I look into your eyes I know that it's true, God must have spent a little more time on you...'"_

He brushed a kiss to her head. "My entire life was changed for the better when you were born, pup. Regardless of what your mother has done, the best thing she _ever_ did was give me you and your sisters; I don't know how I _ever_ thought life was worth living the way it was, before she told me you were growing in her womb. That was the second happiest day of my life."

She pulled away to look up at him. "What was the first?"

He reached up, gently caressing her cheek. _"Today_ _."_ She didn't need to ask what he meant, and he didn't need to explain it; she curled back against his chest.

"I love you, Daddy."

Gently, he squeezed her in a hug, pressing a kiss to her head. "I love you, baby girl."

The party wound down around nine, with the guests wishing Cate happy birthday with hugs and kisses; Claudia pulled her oldest niece into her arms for a hug, promising that she'd meet them for breakfast the next morning and then told the others goodnight before leaving and returning to the bed and breakfast she was staying at for the night.

The walk home was quiet; Anna and Ela dashed ahead with the bags that held Cate's gifts while their parents followed behind, hands linked. "That was exactly what Cate needed after the day she'd had," Zane nodded in agreement, lost in thought. "You okay, babe?"

He turned to her, giving her a small smile. "I'm fine, just thinking."

She nodded, smiling softly as Cate sidled up on Zane's other side and wrapped her hands around her father's bicep; Zane turned to her and the girl smiled at him. They stopped by the mailbox as Anna and Ela went inside; Jo went to the girl, wrapping her in a hug. "Happy Birthday, baby pup." She pressed a kiss to the girl's forehead and then kissed Zane softly before following Anna and Ela into the house.

Left outside, Zane turned to his daughter but didn't get a chance to speak; Cate threw her arms around his neck. He caught her, lifting her lightly off her feet. "Thank you, Daddy."

Zane hugged her gently, pressing a kiss to her temple. "You're welcome. Happy birthday, pup."

Once back inside the girls changed into their pajamas and went to bed; still in their clothes from the party, Zane settled on the sofa with Jo curled into his side. They relished the quiet, until the soft sound of footsteps roused them from the silence and they turned to find Cate standing by the sofa in her pajamas, hair down and face void of makeup. Curled into Zane's side, Jo smirked, and Zane sighed; the pair parted, allowing Cate to settle between them. "Okay baby girl, what do you want to watch?"

" _Sleeping Beauty_?"

The teenager didn't even make it to the halfway mark, she was curled up in Jo's lap, sound asleep by the time Maleficent placed the curse on Princess Aurora. Zane smiled softly as he watched Jo stroke her fingers through the girl's hair; she met his gaze with a grin. "Like clockwork." With a soft chuckle, Zane stood scooping Cate into his arms and carrying her upstairs. He put her to bed with a kiss and was met with Jo on the stairs; she turned him around, patting his ass gently before giving him a push towards their bedroom with a yawn.

"You're a good father, Zane, a very, _very_ good father. Catie's lucky to have you; they all are." Jo told him, snuggling into his chest. A soft sigh escaped him, and he gently stroked a hand through her hair.

"You really think I'm a good father, Jo?" 

" _Yes, babe_ ," She was cut off by a yawn and lifted her head, kissing him softly before settling back against his chest.

"Are you sure I'm a good father?" 

He wasn't sure she'd heard him at first. But then he heard her sleepy, half-muffled reply, "You're a wonderful father. An absolutely wonderful father; now _go_ to _sleep, Zane._ "


	56. Chapter 56

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Jo and Zane's heights are based off of Erica and Naill's actual heights.

"Come here, little ones, and give me hugs before I go."

The family stood outside Cafe Diem the next morning, having just finished breakfast, bidding Claudia goodbye; Zane and Jo watched as the younger woman wrapped each of her nieces in a hug. She kissed each head of black curls, giving them strict orders they were to take very seriously.

"Don't let Mama and Daddy work too hard; they have to have fun, too."

"Yes, Auntie Claudia."

"And get into _as much_ trouble as you can, that's where the true adventure lies-" She stopped at her brother's death glare; a sheepish smile tugged at her lips. "I mean _don't_ get into too much trouble; that would be very, _very_ bad and it would give Mama and Daddy both a heart attack." The girls giggled as Claudia pulled away and went to Jo; she pulled the Security Director in a hug, which startled the other woman. "It was so wonderful to meet you alternate-Jujyfruit!"

Jo chuckled, rubbing her back before something clicked in her head and she pulled away. "Claudia I have to ask- why _Jujyfruit_?"

The younger woman glanced at Zane before tugging Jo slightly to the side. "You know the Jujyfruit candies you get at the movie theater? How they're kind of starchy and made with things that aren't good for you like cornsyrup and carnauba wax and how they get hard if they're left out?" Jo nodded. "Well, I met her- once It wasn't long before Zanie and I lost contact, and I just... didn't like her. She seemed really stiff and kind of... kind of like she was putting on a show for Mom and I; to show us how she belonged with Zanie and," She shrugged. "I made a joke to Mom about how she reminded me of a box of Jujyfruits that had been left out overnight, and the name just sort of... stuck."

Jo thought a moment; it actually did make a lot of sense... especially knowing what she knew about her alternate timeline counterpart, and how _she_ was also from another timeline, one where she had never ended up with Zane, but ended up with Evan instead, and how, once here, she had taken her resentment out on Zane and the family she'd made with him-

"Can you not tell Zane? About the nickname- where it came from? Please?" Claudia asked, and Jo nodded. "Thank you. I like to keep him guessing- plus it's about the _only_ thing that really gets a rise out of him."

"I won't tell." Jo replied.

Claudia took the other woman's hand. "I don't think that about you, though; I think you're _wonderful_ for Zanie, and you deserve him and the girls; he went through a lot with her and I _know_ you're essentially the same person, but you deserve him a whole hell of a lot more than she did. You make him happy. Zanie deserves all the happiness in the world."

After giving Jo one last hug, Claudia went to her brother; he sighed, tugging tugging her into his arms. She wrapped her arms tight around his neck as he lifted her lightly off the ground. "Thank you, Claud; I probably would have ended up burying my daughter if you hadn't saved the day."

She squeezed him quickly, nuzzling into his neck as she'd often done when she was little. "To be fair, I also _caused_ it-"

"And you _fixed_ it, and that's all that matters." He pressed a kiss to her head. "Thank you." He set her back on her feet and sighed. "It was good to see you again. Try not to get into too much trouble at that Warehouse of yours." He chided, reaching out to ruffle her hair. She let him and then wrapped him in one last hug before finally pulling away. "I love you, Claud."

"I love you, Zanie."

"And keep in touch!"

"Hey, I plan on making visits to this brainy little town of yours a regular thing!" She replied; with one last wave, Claudia had pulled out of the parking space and was gone. Zane slid his arms around Jo's shoulders, pulling her into his side with a kiss to her head.

"What do you say we go get lunch and head home?"

"Disney movie marathon?" Cate asked, excitedly. Jo had quickly learned that movie marathons were a thing for the Donovans- be it _Harry Potter_ , the Marvel Universe, the DC Universe, Disney or any of the hundreds of other movies- they made time to spend together, and not just at the cabin; Zane was exceedingly attentive to his girls without being a helicopter parent; somehow, someway, he'd managed to find that perfect balance between work and home, between personal and private- to a degree, but given what had happened, it wasn't Zane's fault- and made sure that unless some major life-threatening, world ending catastrophe was taking place at GD, he was home with his girls on the weekends. From what Jo could figure, it was one of the reasons why the girls thrived as well as they did, because Zane made time for them.

He chuckled. "You gonna be able to stay awake for this, pup?" The girl made a face at her father, who laughed as they followed them back into Cafe Diem to get lunch. As they waited for their order, Jo tugged Zane over to say hello to Allison, Jack, and the kids; though Zane still hadn't forgiven Carter for the Love Potion incident, he was at least being civil, if icy. Unwilling to deal with the awkward silence between the men, Jo made a point of elbowing Zane hard in the stomach; one of the rare advantages of having her husband be six feet even; though Jo stood at five foot five and three quarters- not short by any means- she was still shorter than Zane by a good head or so. Most people didn't realize that it was the heels she wore that gave her the extra height.

It was evident that Cate was going to be like her; at fourteen, the oldest Donovan daughter was already five foot four, and most likely wouldn't grow more than an inch or two- if at all, now. Anna, at four foot eleven, having turned twelve in June, most likely wouldn't grow any more once she got her period, and Ela, at ten, was roughly four foot seven, but she still had some growing to do. Jo had a sneaking suspicion that all three girls would take after her, and not their father at all when it came to height.

"So how's it feel to be the parents of a fourteen-year-old?" Allison asked, and Zane groaned with a soft roll of his eyes. "Saying she's fourteen and her _being_ fourteen are two entirely different things, huh?"

"I think I liked it better when she was four versus now," Zane muttered as Allison laughed. "Is there any way we could regress her back to that age and keep her there? Then I wouldn't have to watch her grow up."

"But if we kept her at that age, you wouldn't get to watch her grow into the beautiful young woman she's becoming, babe."

"I'd be perfectly okay with that, Jojo."

Jo simply shook her head with a glance at the others, and gently patted her husband's chest. "It's okay, Daddy, I know it hurts watching your oldest grow up, but remember, we have _two more_."

Zane glowered at her as the others laughed, and he tugged her into his chest, kissing her head. " _Not_ funny, Jojo. Cate's our first baby."

Just as Jo was about to say something in regards to her husband's unwillingness to let his daughters grow up, the girl's voice stopped her. "Mama! Daddy!" They turned to see all three holding cartons and drink holders. "Disney movies, remember? You promised!"

They turned back to the others. "That's our cue; see you Monday."


	57. Chapter 57

_Thunder crashed overhead as the rain began to soak through her clothes; the stone was cold against her skin but she felt neither it nor the chill from the rain_. _Lifting her head from reflection in the puddle at her feet_ , _she watched the shadows as her father approached her mother through the light within their room; he lifted her chin and she seemed to stare at him for the briefest of moments before he leaned down-_

 _Her mother pulled away_ , _turning from him and fleeing further into the room; he stood_ , _stunned_ , _before casting the room into darkness with a single breath_.

 _It was then that her mind was made up and her decision made_.

"Mama?" Jo met her daughter's gaze as Annaleigh looked up at her. "What's she doing?" It had been a while since the girls had shown any interest in the beloved children's classic.

"She chose to take her father's place in the war; by cutting her hair, it was easier for her to pass as male so that she could fight."

"You and Daddy grew up watching theses movies, right?" Ela asked; Zane and Jo had taken the day to stay home with the girls to help them forget the artifact incident; hot chocolate, ice cream and Disney movies were on the menu for the day, and now they all sat curled up on the sofa under blankets, watching the nineteen -ninety-eight Disney classic play on the plasma. Anna was curled into Jo's side, and Cate into Zane's, with Ela between their parents.

They both nodded, sharing a glance.

"Your _Abuelo_ took me to see this in theaters when I was about fifteen," She nodded to the moment when a sharp blade sliced through thick black hair. **"** Even then, I never understood the gravity of his words, but looking back at this scene now, especially when she takes her father's conscription and then slices off her hair, it hits so hard that what she was doing, was essentially cross-dressing in order to serve in the army in her father's place. And that little moment in particular, right as the blade slices through her hair and it falls to the ground in clumps, sends absolute chills up my spine; still to this day; I still remember letting out a gasp at that particular scene when I saw it in theaters."

'Why?" Ela asked; she shifted closer to Jo, cuddling into her mother's side and resting her head on Jo's chest.

"Cross-dressing, right?" Cate asked, unable to think of the proper word for what was happening on screen Zane wrinkled his nose at his daughter.

"Transvestism, Catie, but yes, back then it would have been considered cross-dressing." He replied, meeting his wife's gaze over their daughter's heads.

"Why though?

"Well," Jo sighed, taking a moment and returning her gaze to the film. "Her whole goal- the very reason she did what she did- was to protect her father and keep him from serving and possibly being, if not mortally wounded, then killed, at risk of her own life."

"So she did it to protect him?" Zane nodded.

_"You must go after her, she could be killed."_

_"If I reveal her, she will be."_

"They'd really kill her?"

"Women were not meant to go into battle at that time; it was an act punishable by death in Ancient China. In fact, it wasn't until about the nineteen seventies or so that women were even _allowed_ to serve in the military- at least in America." Zane said, glancing at his wife.

"Actually, women were allowed to serve in the armed forces in the four branches after Law Six-Twenty-Five was signed by Truman in forty-eight."

"What's Law Six-Twenty-Five?" Cate asked; Jo sighed.

"The Women's Armed Services Act- it allowed women to serve in all four branches of the services at all times, not just in times of war, which is what it had been originally, and not just as nurses or kept away from combat; even though they were able to serve, they were still kept as their own separate unit and they remained in that unit until the branch was disbanded in late nineteen-seventy-eight, which then the women within that branch just integrated into whichever branch they were in."

"But you served, right, Mama?" Ela asked, and Jo nodded, stroking her fingers through her daughter's hair.

"Mama was a general, Ellie, _of course_ she served." Anna replied, the twelve-year-old found everything about her mother's military service fascinating; she loved the idea of her mother- tiny and light and chatty and girlish despite the business attire- being this tough-as-nails general who had ordered men much bigger than her around and earned the respect she received from everyone.

"A Lieutenant General, which is a couple steps below a general." Jo replied.

"I think it's cool that you got to serve, Mama." Anna admitted, and her mother simply shook her head.

"You wouldn't be saying that if you faced some of the stuff I did, baby girl." Jo replied, as Anna sat up and grabbed her cup from the table. "There were over forty-thousand female soldiers who served in the First Afghan War-"

"Did you serve in that one, Mama?" Ela asked; Jo shook her head.

"It was Afghan Two, right, love?" Zane asked as Cate snuggled closer.

"What was Afghan Two?" Ela asked, confused.

Jo sighed, "The War on Terror; right after the Towers fell on Nine-Eleven back in two-thousand-one," She met Zane's gaze. "I went to The Point at sixteen instead of eighteen; finished in three years, went through flight school, and was one of the first sent over to Afghanistan," She fell silent, becoming lost in her own thoughts. "I served three tours, was captured, held for-" She stopped. "I don't even remember how long, came home; it took years of therapy just to even get back to feeling like I was normal again. I hit a really low point and became addicted to pain meds; I only got clean because- in my timeline- Evan Cross, was a childhood friend of mine, and he wanted to start up this tech company and he wanted me to be a part of it, but he would only allow me to be a part of it if I got clean," She stopped, sat up and grabbed her mug, taking a sip; it was evident her military experience was still a touchy subject for her, even years later. "I got clean, went up to Vancouver, helped Evan start up his company, spent four years up there, roughly, came down to Eureka, became the deputy- in my original timeline- and," She stopped, a look crossing her face that Zane couldn't read and she fell silent.

The girls knew that their mother had served in the military, but until the night they told the Carters and Deacons the truth, they'd never known anything about it; Jo was exceedingly tight-lipped about her service; today had been the most they'd ever heard her speak on the subject. She shifted pulling Anna closer.

'Did you ever have to do that?" Anna asked, nodding to the movie; Jo shook her head.

"Impersonate a man to serve in the military? No; but it was more dangerous for her than it was for me, relatively speaking."

'Why didn't they say anything about her being female?" Cate asked; though she was older and had seen the movie before, she still liked it when her parents explained the scenes to her; hearing their reasoning and explanations gave her a chance to think and come to a better understanding that she may have missed had she come up with a reason or explanation on her own.

"To protect her," Zane replied.

'Protect her?"

 **"** Her father's insistence that even if he revealed her impersonating a soldier would have been huge- a major law broken,"

"Because she was trying to protect her daddy?" Ela asked.

"Yes," Jo admitted, "but for the more the fact that she was _female_. A woman dressing in a man's uniform and impersonating a soldier going into battle with men while hiding her sex? That was huge-"

'But she did it to protect her dad, right?" Zane nodded, as Cate snuggled closer to him.

'It was exceedingly huge and exceedingly dangerous," He agreed kissing her head. "and now as an adult I realize the gravity of the massive risk she took in order to keep her father safe."

"Really, Daddy?" He nodded.

"She did so to protect her father, risking her own life in exchange for his."

"She didn't bring honor to her family like they wanted her too in the beginning." Anna pointed out.

"On the contrary; actually she did." The girls turned to Jo, and she glanced at each of them before glancing at her husband.

'What do you mean?" Cate asked, Jo smiled softly at her.

"She brought honor to her family the moment she decided to take her father's place in battle."


	58. Chapter 58

"What movie should we watch next, my darlings?" Zane asked, as the credits on rolled.

The girls shared glances, unsure, before Jo spoke up. "How about we go to Greece?"

"Is that the one with the goatman?" Ela asked, as Jo got up and went into the kitchen; she joined Zane at the island as her husband pulled what they'd picked up at Cafe Diem for lunch from the self-warming containers.

 _"I believe the proper term would be a satyr, Ela. In Ancient Greek mythology, a half-man-half-goat nature spirit most known for cavorting with nymphs and other spirits of the forests, early portrayals often showed them engaging in bestiality."_ The look on Ela's face at AIDA's explanation made her parents laugh.

"So like Taggart." Anna said, as her father cocked his head, thinking.

"I wish I could say 'no', but no one really knows what that crazy Australian does in his spare time, so." Jo chuckled, setting out plates and utensils as Zane slid a hand along her waist and tugged her close. "Come eat, girls, we'll put the movie on after lunch."

Once lunch was finished, they fixed fresh hot chocolate and cider and settled back on the sofa, pulling the blankets around them; and Zane started the next movie. The girls enjoyed the little tidbits of Greek Mythology AIDA gave them, and they all pretty much agreed that Meg was one of the best Disney characters of the Renaissance era.

_"'The Pinhead with hooves? Well you know how men are- they think 'no' means 'yes' and-'"_

" _'- Get lost' m_ _eans 'take me I'm yours_.''' Jo quoted, dropping into Zane's lap as she returned from the kitchen with another bowl of popcorn; Ela grabbed the bowl as Jo folded her hands under her chin and batted her big caramel eyes at her husband, a bright smile on her face; Zane immediately bolted back, hitting the the sofa. The girls giggled; even AIDA let out a soft whir of what could be mistaken for amusement at her humans' antics. She then stood, returning to her spot between Ela and Anna, grinning at Zane.

Halfway through the movie, Zane looked up to see all of his girls sound asleep, and he quickly turned the movie off and stood. Cate was curled into his side, her head in his lap, Jo had stretched out on the opposite side of the sofa with Anna curled into her side and Ela had curled into his other side. Carefully, he stood, scooping Cate into his arms and carrying her upstairs; he did the same with Anna and Ela before coming back downstairs. Jo was still sound asleep, and he hated to move her, but knew she'd be more comfortable upstairs in bed. Once he settled her among the blankets of their bed, he brushed a kiss to her hair. "Oh, Josephina, what am I going to do with you?"

With his girls all sound asleep, Zane headed back downstairs; he worked on fixing dinner and enjoyed the quiet that filled the house for once. It wasn't that he didn't love his girls and the chaos and noise they brought to his life, he did, but he also enjoyed the moments when silence completely enveloped the house. There had been so little laughter in the house in the months preceding the switch, that he almost didn't know what the sound was anymore. Jo had brought it all back.

He sighed; he loved his wife, he really did, he just couldn't understand how everything had gone so wrong in sixteen short years or so. They'd been happy, not necessarily in love, but finding that early balance between getting to know each other and being comfortable enough with each other in the first months of romance- and then suddenly, everything changed. One late winter night resulted in Cate, and four months later they were exchanging rings and promising forever at the altar; five months after that, their baby girl was born and suddenly they were a family.

The fact that she hadn't gone on maternity leave like Allison had told her to two weeks before the baby was born still irked the good doctor, and she held it over her head still years later- _"If you'd gone on leave like I told you to do, we wouldn't be scrambling to deliver this baby, Jo. You're a workaholic, you know that?"_ \- though she didn't hold it over Jo's head because it wasn't her memory.

It had been two days of long, hard labor that had started early on the morning of the twelfth and lasted until the late hours of the fourteenth when Cate had finally been born and their world was turned completely upside down. The intervening hours in between Cate's birth and her mother's labor starting had been difficult- for however strong she claimed to be, labor tore that strength down tenfold and fast- and at one point, she had even refused to push, though her body had other plans.

_"I can't do this! I'm not strong enough- I don't want to!"_

_"Jojo, look at me, you are doing this, sweetheart. You are so strong, and I'm so proud of you! I love you."_

Her screams had been drowned out by the screams of a newborn and they'd soon found themselves with a seven pound, eight ounce baby girl that captured their hearts and toppled their carefully constructed world- because going through pregnancy and having a newborn were two entirely different things. He found himself facing fatherhood- suddenly, his baby girl was out in the world, and it was his job to protect her and care for her and love her- something he did with his whole heart. Cate became his world, and he couldn't have asked for a greater gift in life.

And then that gift had been multiplied by two.

Suddenly, Zane found himself the father of three of the most gorgeous baby girls in Eureka, with a loving wife and what seemed to be the perfect life. And then it all shot to hell-

"Anything I can help you solve, Doctor Donovan?" He turned as slender arms slid around him from behind and she giggled.

"How was your nap?" He slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her close; she shrugged.

"Would have been better if you'd joined me." He smiled softly at her.

"Next time." She stole a soft kiss as the girls came downstairs, rubbing the sleep from their eyes and yawning. "There are my other Sleeping Beauties; go set the table, darlings. Dinner's ready."


	59. Chapter 59

Monday morning rolled around bright and early for everyone in Eureka; over breakfast with Allison, Carter and Zoe- who'd gotten the job at GD and was working with Allison- they were all surprised to see Sam Lovejoy, the talent scout for Eureka, come into the Cafe.

"Ah! Sheriff! There you are! Hey listen, I hate to interrupt breakfast, but I got another one for you."

The girls shared confused looks as Zane stood, cup in hand, to go back to the counter. "Mr. Lovejoy's the recruiter for Eureka." He clarified at his daughter's strange looks. "How're you doing, Sam?"

The older man grinned, holding out a hand. "Zane! I'm doin' swell; how's the family?" The two men quickly shook hands as Jo came back from the bathroom. "And there's the Mrs.! How'ya doin', Jo?" Jo didn't bother hiding her surprise when she saw Sam, and after a moment, she grinned, going to him and giving him a hug. Jo had always liked Sam; being a Jersey boy, he knew the ins and outs of their neck of the woods and whenever he was in town they often got together for a drink to reminisce about growing up on the 'wrong side of the Statue of Liberty' as was the common misconception about people from Jersey.

She laughed, accepting the kiss he pressed to her cheek in greeting. "I'm doin' good, Sam, how's yous?"

Zane chuckled softly; his wife's accent always seemed to come out in full force whenever she was around Sam- he didn't understand why she tried to hide it so, then again, the years she'd spent in Eureka had helped to dampen it some. "I'm doin' swell. Those your little ones?"

"Not so little anymore." Zane replied, as the girls got up to join the adults, backpacks in hand. "Catie turned fourteen on Friday."

Sam started, a look of surprise crossing his features. "No! Little Cate? I remember when Jo'd just had her! She was a tiny little thing! And now she's fourteen?" He shook his head, unaware of the look the couple shared as Zane slid his arm around her waist and tugged her into his side. "Well, she was a beautiful baby when she was born and she's a beautiful young girl now. Zane, Jo, you did good. They're absolutely beautiful." The couple shared a glance before Zane turned to the girls.

"Ready to go, girls? Let's get you to school. Good to see you again, Sam. Take care." As they were about to usher the girls out of the cafe to the car, Zane stopped, letting someone enter the cafe before they left. The young man turned to glance at him, and Zane felt like he was looking in a mirror. Just as Ela stepped outside, everyone heard Carter's cry of surprise,

"You're _kidding_ me- _Donovan? Seriously? I have to put up with another one?_ "

Every head turned towards Carter as the cafe fell silent; Jo, Zane and the girls all turned back. "What did you say, Carter?" Jo asked, curiosity piqued as she glanced at her husband.

Carter turned to her as she came back to him to read over his shoulder. "Another one! What do you multiply and just not say anything to anyone?" He ignored Jo's glare as Zane came over and the girls slipped back inside to wait by the door. "I swear, you Donovans multiply like rabbits!" He stopped as both Zane and Jo glared at him. _"What?_ It's bad enough that I have to deal with your shenanigans plus your daughters and now I have to deal with another one?"

But before either Jo or Zane could respond, Ela spoke up. "Daddy! We're gonna be late!" Their parents shared a glance before joining the girls and ushering them out to the car. After promising to pick them up after school- because they didn't have dance that night- the pair headed to GD.

"Are you okay, babe?" He put the car in park and sighed, leaning his head back against the headrest.

"Honestly? I'm kind of hoping it's just a coincidence; if it's not, my brain's going to go a thousand different directions and that's the last thing I need today." She slipped her hand into his as they headed into GD and scanned their ID's; their quiet conversation was interrupted however by Henry calling them over.

"Jo, Zane, this is Joshua Donovan- he's our new particle physicist; this is Zane Donovan, our Section Five Director and his wife, Jo, she is our Security Director." Pleasantries were exchanged before an awkward silence fell; a moment passed, before Jo spoke up.

"Particle physics? Sounds like you have something in common with my husband. Isn't that what your doctorate's in, right, babe?"

"My first one." Zane replied automatically, gaze lowering. He couldn't bring himself to look at the other man; the resemblance was just too much. "Particle physics, theoretical physics, and quantum physics in that order." Jo nodded; she knew that Zane had received three different physics Phds. by the time he was fifteen from three different universities; and despite the year he'd spent in prison for stealing money from the War on Drugs fund- only to be discovered later that Mrs Spadaro was giving her award again- Eureka had still wanted him for his work.

"What are you interested in in regards to particle physics?" Jo asked, trying to make small talk to cancel out the awkward silence. The other man met her gaze, smiling quickly at her.

"Teleportation and time travel, Director... Donovan. And your interest is-?"

"I have a doctorate in Psychology, actually." Jo clarified, catching the glance Zane tossed her at mentions of time travel; she squeezed his hand reassuringly. She glanced among the men before turning to her husband. "We'd better get going; Henry, when you me to set up his security detail, send him my way." The director nodded. "It was nice to meet you."

But before they could take more than a few steps, a voice stopped them. "Does the name Nathaniel Donovan ring any bells?"

Zane froze; he hadn't heard that name in years, since he was about six or so. Jo turned back to him, worried. After a moment, Zane turned, going back to him. "Of course it rings a bell; Nathaniel Donovan is my father. Why?"

The smile that met him was tinged with sadness and a hint of broken promises that Zane recognized as one he himself had worn for years. "Because he's my father, too. I think we might be half-brothers."


	60. Chapter 60

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The opening line for this chapter is actually from Warehouse 13's episode, Secret Santa.

_"Holy Mother of God!"_

People looked up as the Section Five Director stormed out of the infirmary, rolling the sleeve of his shirt down and tugging his black blazer back on.

 _DNA doesn't lie_.

Five minutes later, the Security Director came dashing out of the same infirmary, taking the turn so fast she slipped, but managed to keep her balance as she chased after her husband. "Zane! Zane, wait! Babe!" She stopped, letting out a huff of annoyance before, _"Zane Matthew Donovan_ _, you stop right there!"_

Those just getting into work stopped to watch as the Section Five Director stopped, giving the Security Director enough time to scurry towards him. Once close enough, she took his arm, but he tugged away from her and continued down the steps towards the elevator. With a quick glance back at the infirmary where Allison had come out with the newest Eureka recruit, she turned and just managed to slip into the elevator behind him. Once the doors closed, she turned to him.

" _Don't_ start, Josephina, I don't want to hear it."

"Fine; I won't say anything."

Silence settled between the pair as Jo slipped her hands behind her back and they watched the floors tick by; she glanced at him, but he refused to meet her gaze. When finally the elevator doors opened onto Section Five, Zane booked it to his office, his wife hot on his heels. As the doors slid shut behind them, she stopped. He was sitting at his desk with his elbows on the desktop, hands folded and cheek resting against his knuckles, blue gaze lost in thought. With a sigh, she went to him, reaching out and rubbing her hands over his back and shoulders in attempt to calm him.

"He walked out on us when I was six." She didn't ask who or why, she simply let him speak, knowing he needed to talk about this. "He told Mom once that he couldn't handle having a genius kid, and he wished I was brainless- that I would never be able to make my way in the world because no one cares about smarts and or how good you are at science," She continued rubbing his back, stroking her fingers through his hair, providing any form of comfort she could. "Then again, he was a businessman, but he made his first fortune off of gambling; said it was an 'honest man's trade,'" Jo snorted softly, continuing to massage his shoulders gently; she could feel the tension slowly starting to leave him. "There's nothing honest about gambling, and _nothing_ honest about Nathaniel Donovan."

"I'm sorry, babe."

"Mom knew about Claudia- or, she had suspicions, but-" He stopped, sighing, and she slid an arm around his neck as she pressed a kiss to his hair; he reached up, taking her hand and kissing her palm. "and now to find out I have a- a _half-brother_ I never knew _existed_. What? Claud and I weren't _good enough_ for him? He had to go and make an entirely new family, have another kid when he couldn't or wouldn't take care of the two he already had? And by two different women? What the _fuck_ did Claudia and I do that was so wrong he didn't want us?"

"You did _nothing_ wrong, babe," Jo replied, moving around to lean against his desk; he took her hands, playing with her wedding ring before tugging her into his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close. "You are _not_ at fault here; Claudia isn't at fault and neither is Joshua; you're all victims of your father and his selfish ways. Some men just aren't meant to be fathers and he's one of them."

He buried his face in her neck. "My _biggest fear_ is turning out like him; it's why I've tried so hard to make sure the girls have had everything they could ever want, that they never feel like I don't love them. I don't understand how he could just abandon Claudia and I like that, and I promised myself when Cate was born that I would _never_ _, ever_ leave her, no matter how bad things got between us. Cate and Anna and Ela are my world; if something happened to them- when we nearly lost Catie to that artifact- it felt like my world was crumbling around me. If I lost you or any of the girls, I wouldn't be able to go on; if I can't imagine living without my girls, how could he so _willingly_ walk away from me? From Claudia?"

He pulled away to meet her gaze, and she gently reached up to brush the tears from his cheeks. "I don't know, love, but I _do know_ that he is not _half_ the man that you are, and you should be _proud_ of _everything_ you've done. You are an _amazing_ man and an _amazing_ father and you should be _proud_ of that. Look at all you've done in fourteen short years; look at the girls you've raised, essentially alone. Zane, my _darling_ , my _love_ , you are not your father. You may look like him and have his mannerisms and aspects of his personality, but you are _not_ him." She continued to wipe the tears from his cheeks. "You are a _good man_ , with a _good heart_ , and a strong moral compass. You're raising our girls to be strong, independent women who _know_ they can turn to you if they absolutely need to. _You are_ not _your father_ ; you're _better_ than him. In every way, and I'm _honored_ I get to be your wife."

He rested his forehead to hers, choking on a sob, and she wrapped her arms tight around his neck, holding him to her as he broke down. As he buried his face in her chest, she tangled her fingers in his hair, holding him tight against her, allowing him to cry; she knew his father was a sensitive subject for him- in both of her previous timelines, Zane had refused to even mention the man, and when he did, it was always only in passing with a shrug and look of nonchalance, though she knew how deep the man's rejection truly cut. "Oh, my love, I've got you. I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere; you won't lose me, I promise."

She pressed a firm kiss to his head, nuzzling into his hair in attempt to calm him. He clung tighter, shoulders shaking. Whoever made a fuss about men showing emotion should be shot as far as she was concerned; that her husband felt so secure with her to show emotion was huge, especially in modern society. Again, she kissed his head, gently stroking his back in comfort. "I love you, my darling. I love you so _, so much_ , and I don't ever want to imagine my life without you in it. You're my world, you and our girls, and I love you so."


	61. Chapter 61

"Director Donovan!"

Jo turned, slowing down to allow him to catch up as she made her way back to her office; Zane had finally calmed down enough that she felt comfortable leaving him for a couple hours, promising to meet him in his office for lunch. Silence settled between the two as they entered her office before,

"How is-"

"He's dealing," She cut him off as she took a seat at her desk and gestured for him to take the seat across from her. "You need to understand, Joshua, that... Nathaniel Donovan was... _not_ a good man. Not by any means. He was a gambler and while he wasn't _physically_ abusive, he was neglectful towards Zane- both Zane and his mother- as well as his sister, Claudia, and-"

"Wait, we have a sister?"

Jo bit her lip; she knew how protective Zane was of Claudia, and she was _definitely_ certain he wouldn't appreciate that she'd just spilled the beans in regards to his little sister- even if his little sister was also Joshua's sister. She released a slow breath; he waited, giving her time to gather her thoughts. "Yes, you and Zane share a half-sister, Claudia. She's a couple years younger than Zane and he's very protective of her just like he is of our daughters-"

_Like he is of all the women in his life._

Joshua cocked his head to the side. "You have daughters?" She nodded. "Congratulations." He started as she barked out a surprised laugh.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to laugh; thank you, but they're all way past the baby stage; our oldest just turned fourteen."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize-" He stammered for several minutes, and Jo simply watched him, noticing the similarities with her husband; the way his nose wrinkled slightly when he realized that he'd said something he hadn't fully understood, how his blue eyes went just a shade lighter when he was embarrassed, the way he'd chew the inside of his cheek when he was trying to think of something to say-

"It's okay, easy mistake," She replied, reaching into a drawer and pulling out a file with a few things of paperwork; might as well get clearance set up while she had him in her office. Once he'd filled out the required paperwork, been fingerprinted and received his clearance, Jo walked him to Section Six where the particle physics lab was. "If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask; my husband is also the Director of Section Five and his degrees are in various types of physics, so if you have any questions specific to how the physics labs work here at GD, I'm sure Zane would be willing to help."

He grabbed her hand, squeezing gently. "Thank you, Jo." She nodded.

Once done, she made her way to Zane's office. He had buried himself in his work, and she immediately made her way over to him, reaching out to rub his back; one arm moved to wrap around his waist, while the other came up to gently stroke through his hair. She kissed his head, feeling him reach down and take her hand in his with a soft squeeze. "Hungry? Let's go get something to eat, baby. Maybe pick up the girls and make it a family date?"

He tapped the button on the holographic computer he'd been going through; it flickered out immediately. Jo understood that each Section Director's office was built towards the needs of the person running the section- Section Nine's computers were more robotic than anything because the section dealt with AI, Section Ten focused on Biology and so Doctor Glenn used an organic computer instead of a normal one- just as long as Zane stayed far away from those, Jo didn't care- and because Zane's section was military technology, he needed to see the ins and outs of everything, so holograms were used- though he did have a regular computer for backup in case he needed it. She hummed softly against his hair, brushing her fingers through it again, with a kiss.

"Come on, baby, let's go pick up the girls and make a date of it," She moved around him, taking his hands and tugging gently. "I won't be selfish today; I'll share you with the other three beautiful women in your life-" He pulled her back, sliding his arms around her waist as he nuzzled against her. "Zane!" She laughed, but his soft voice stopped her laughter.

"I love you, Jo." He met her gaze and she softened immediately, reaching up to caress his cheek; she didn't say a word, simply pressed a firm kiss to his forehead before leaning down and pecking him lightly on the lips. That soft peck became a short kiss, fingers coming up to stroke through his hair. His hands moved down to caress her hips, pulling her close until she was settled between his legs; the kiss deepened, and she slid her arms around his neck, leaning into him and tangling her fingers in his hair.

His long, slender fingers moved up and he gently slipped his hand beneath her blazer and tugged her emerald-colored blouse up, moving to caress the soft, supple skin of her back. His fingers found the small mole on the right side, and he gently brushed his thumb against it, before sliding his hand along her waist and pulling her closer; she settled onto his lap and moved to work on the buttons on his shirt, sliding her hands beneath the fabric to feel the softness of his skin. Breaking the kiss, she trailed kisses along his cheek to his temple and wrapped her arms around him as he buried his face in her neck, breathing in her familiar scent. He buried his face in her chest, taking a deep, shaky breath as he tried to get his emotions under control again; she tangled a hand in his hair and pressed several firm kisses to his head, holding him close.

"I love you. I love you so, so much, baby," She brushed another kiss to his head, nuzzling her nose into his hair. "don't ever doubt that, Zane. I will always love you, no matter where or when we are." She gently lifted his head to meet his gaze, nuzzling against him. "Come on, let's go pick up the girls and have lunch; we'll make a family day of it," She stood, allowing him to re-button his shirt before as she tucked her back in and then tugged him to his feet. Her hands slid down along the firmness of his abs as she pulled him close, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Or better yet, let's check the girls out of school and go up to Portland for the day; I think we could all use a few hours away from Eureka right now. What do you say, baby?"

The startled look in his bright blue eyes made her laugh.


	62. Chapter 62

The sight of Jo leaning against the car when as they followed Zane out of Tesla confused all three girls. Cate though, as the oldest, felt her anxiety kick in and she turned to Zane, horrified. "Is someone _dying_? Is _that_ why you picked us up early? Did something happen to Auntie Claudia or _Granna_?"

Zane raised an eyebrow at his oldest before pulling her into his side in attempt to calm Cate down; the girl's anxiety was out of control partially because of the high need to achieve in this town, and growing up watching her parents' marriage implode. According to her therapist, it wouldn't be beneficial to take the girls out of Eureka and put them in the 'real world' because they had been born in the small town and were comfortable in the town and they weren't sure they'd be able to adjust properly outside of the small Oregon town until they were older. "Easy, Catie, no one's dying. Mama and I just decided that maybe you'd like to spend the day with us up in Portland, but if you don't want to, you're welcome to go back to class."

"We're going up to Portland?" Ela cried in excitement, and Jo nodded.

"If you want to come along; if not, Daddy and I can spend the day up in Portland and you three can go back-" Ela let out a squeal and immediately climbed into the car; Anna watched them in silence for several minutes before asking,

"Did Uncle Henry say it was okay?"

Jo met her middle daughter's gaze, reaching out to brush a strand of hair off Anna's cheek. "I told Gwen that unless the town is burning to the ground, she can handle the rest of my workload for the day and the next day as well if I get back late and don't come in."

"You're playing hooky." Anna concluded as Jo reached up and held a finger to her lips; a moment passed, before Anna climbed into the car. Cate looked up at her father; Zane pressed a hard kiss to his oldest daughter's head before pulling away and going to Jo, kissing her soundly as he reached for her keys. " _My_ car, Donovan." She muttered against his mouth, pushing gently against his chest. He kissed her one last time before moving around to the passenger side.

"You coming, Catie?" Zane asked as he slipped into the passenger side; Jo went to her oldest, taking her hands.

"Daddy and I decided we all need a little time away from Eureka; come on, baby girl, we'll go antiquing. I know some really good antique shops in the Northwest district we can hit." A moment passed, before the girl nodded and climbed into the car. As they pulled out of the parking lot and made the drive out of town, Jo glanced at the girls in the rearview, asking, "So what do you want to do once we get there?"

"Lunch?" Ela asked, and Zane chuckled softly.

"Besides lunch- it's been a while since I've been in Portland." Jo replied.

"You said we could go antiquing, Mama." Cate said; Ela rolled her eyes as Anna spoke up.

"Can we go on the PT Boat?"

Jo glanced at Zane. "PT Boat?"

"It's a World War II Patrol Torpedo boat and it's still operational-" Zane chuckled softly as Anna went on and on for the next several minutes; if she wasn't so young, he was certain his middle daughter would follow in her mother's footsteps- especially considering that Anna enjoyed learning anything about the military or law enforcement. The drive up to Portland was filled with chatter and music as the girls enjoyed the drive; even Cate relaxed.

By the time they reached Portland, the girls were all antsy and excited to spend the day in the city; as they pulled into a parking garage and headed into downtown, Jo slid her arm through her husband's and rested her head against his bicep. Zane pressed a kiss to her head. They went wandering among the antique shops- of which Cate latched onto Jo and tugged her down the street towards one that caught her eye as Zane and the younger girls followed behind. They went on a tour of the PT boat which Anna loved and toured the Pittock Mansion that thrilled Ela to no end; by the time they stopped for lunch at a small cafe, it was evident that this day was needed by all of them.

Jo glanced at Zane; he took her hand, squeezing gently. "Thank you, sweetheart. We all needed this." He leaned over, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek to the girls' giggles. At one point, they made it to the farmer's market to wander the stalls and get groceries with the intent to spend some time at the cabin after leaving Portland.

"What do you think-" Jo felt her heart plummet into the pavement as she turned to find Ela gone. "Zane. Zane, where's Eleanora?"

He handed Anna the cloth bag they'd kept in the back of the car. "She's right-"

Panic set in; with Anna and Cate, Jo and Zane split off in search of their youngest. It was several minutes of tense panic as they searched for the ten-year-old before, "Mama!"

"Ela?" Feeling Zane and the girls hot on her heels, Jo darted through the crowds as the ten-year-old dashed towards her excitedly, holding tight to a man's hand. _"Oh God, Elie!"_ Jo scooped her youngest into her arms; she smothered her in kisses, not bothering to hide the fear and worry she'd felt.

" _Eleanora, what were you thinking disappearing like that?_ " Zane demanded, as Ela pulled back from her mother.

"But Daddy-"

"Don't you _ever_ do that again, _Eleanora Rosalie, you understand me?_ " Jo scolded gently. "You're supposed to stay with one of us!"

"But Mama, I _found_ -"

 _"It doesn't matter what you found Elie, you scared us!"_ Cate scolded; Anna however wasn't paying attention to the scolding her little sister was enduring. Her attention was pulled to the man Ela had been holding onto; he looked _exceedingly_ familiar- messy black hair and soft olive skin with dark chocolate eyes, dressed in Army fatigues- and a lot like Mama, if Anna were honest. And then she saw the name on his chest.

_Lupo_

There were only three men Anna knew still living that had her mother's maiden name and all three were overseas serving in the military- Uncle Luca was in Germany Uncle Davie was in the Philippines and Uncle Ricco was in Afghanistan- and the man who stood before them had a scar running down his left cheek. Only one of her uncles had a scar like that and he got it not in combat but when he broke up a fight in a bar in Spain before being stationed in the Middle East-

" _But Catie_ , I found-"

 _"Uncle Ricco!"_ The others turned as Anna threw herself at the older man; he caught her with a laugh. Jo turned to Ela as she tugged on her mother's blazer; the ten-year-old was small and light for her age and size and met Jo's gaze.

"I _tried_ to _tell you_ , Mama; I found Uncle Ricco." Jo didn't respond, she simply handed her daughter off to her husband as Cate threw herself at her oldest uncle after he set Anna down.

"Ricci?" The oldest Lupo sibling set his oldest niece back on her feet and turned to his baby sister.

"Hey Josie-Lou-Who, nice to see you again."

She quickly closed the gap between them, throwing her arms around his neck as he scooped her up, stumbling back. _"What are you doing here?"_ He set her back on her feet after several minutes and stepped back, and then she saw the cane he was leaning on. "Oh, Ricci-"

"Honorable discharge." She nodded against the tears running down her cheeks and he reached up, gently stroking the tears off her cheeks. "Hush, Josie-Lou, it's okay, I'm okay; I got into Portland a few days ago-"

"Ric?" The others turned as a woman came up to them; her long strawberry blonde hair was pulled back into a braid and she wore a pair of jeans and a sweater. "Oh, sorry-"

"No, it's okay, my nieces found-"

It took a moment before Jo realized who the woman was and she glanced at Zane; he shrugged. Zane only knew his brothers-in-law; he wasn't aware that any of them were married. "Tessie Fontana?" The other woman started at her name, and she stared at the other woman for several minutes before,

"Ah... Phina Lupo?"

"Actually, it's been Donovan for the last fourteen years or so." Jo replied with a blush as the older woman wrapped her in a hug. Zane glanced at Ricco as he shifted Ela on his hip. _This_ Tess Fontana- not the other Tess Fontana who had been the Section Five Head in Jo's original timeline- had grown up in Jersey with the Lupo siblings and been Ricco's high school girlfriend; they'd fallen out of touch, but had reconnected over the last few years; though her birth name was Theresa, only Jo ever called her Tessie, everyone else called her Tess and a select few called her Tessa.

Eventually the small group found a small diner; once settled they spent time catching up. Tess explained how she and Ricco had gotten back in contact, and then told them that Ricco proposed and she accepted, and that they were planning a long engagement; Zane and Jo gave a basic rundown of everything that had been going on in the last few weeks, including Cate's birthday. By the time they returned to the car, Ricco and Tess promised to stop by the next weekend to visit.

They eventually pulled up beside the cabin, intending to spend the next couple of days away from Eureka, and turned to find all three of their girls sound asleep in the back. She glanced at Zane, who chuckled softly and got out of the car; he scooped Cate into his arms as Jo grabbed the groceries and put them in the kitchen. She returned to the car as Zane came back for Anna, and she scooped Ela into her arms before following her husband into the cabin. With all three girls sound asleep upstairs, the pair worked on fixing dinner.

At one point, Zane slid his hand along her waist, tugging her into his side with a soft kiss. "Thank you for this, Jojo. We all needed this today." He nuzzled her hair gently as she slid the pan into the oven and set the timer. She then wiped her hands before turning to him and reaching up to gently caress his cheeks.

"My mom taught us that distractions during bad days were important; after she died... my brothers used a lot of distraction days to get us through. I kinda figured we could use a day or two of distraction." She kissed him softly, nuzzling against his cheek before accepting the soft kiss they shared. He slid his arms around her waist, pulling her into his body; at some point, they ended up curled up on the corner of the sofa, sharing kiss after kiss. Zane nuzzled against her, breathing in the familiar scent of her hair before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I love you, Jojo." Their lips met softly as he gently unbuttoned her blouse; it parted softly and he nestled against her chest, pressing his ear to her heart. She held him close, tangling her fingers in his hair, knowing that he needed the sound of her heart to calm him after the day they'd had.


	63. Chapter 63

They spent the next couple of days at the cabin before returning to Eureka. No one said anything as to why the girls missed three days of school- especially considering the girls never missed school- or why Zane and Jo missed three days of work; Henry merely looked at the pair when they stepped into the rotunda the morning after they returned to Eureka and chuckled softly.

Zane hadn't said a word to Joshua in the days since they got back, and it wasn't until Ricco and Tess came to visit that he had no real choice but acknowledge that he had family in Eureka that was eager to get to know him. So it was one afternoon a week before Thanksgiving break that Jo came into the rotunda with Zane, Henry, Grace, and Allison from a Department Heads meeting, and found her brother and his fiancee following Rowley. "We'll make sure that Director Donovan-"

_"Ricci!"_

Everyone stopped to watch as the normally straight-laced, hard-assed Director of Security went dashing through the rotunda towards the couple; Rowley went rigid as her boss and best friend blew past her, missing colliding with the redhead by inches. The youngest Lupo sibling threw her arms around his neck and he staggered back briefly, before swinging her around as he used to do when she was a kid. Tess laughed, happy to see the siblings reunited again, and once Jo was back on her feet, she moved to embrace her future sister-in-law.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, as the two women swayed gently back and forth before parting. "Not that I'm _not_ happy to see you, but-"

"I got some time off from work, and Ric's finally got the all clear from the VA health-wise." Jo turned to her brother; she remembered the phone calls over the last few weeks, and how Ricco kept her in the loop about the issues that had come up after his discharge. She was just happy that her brother was finally doing better. "We figured we'd come visit you and your hubs and your little ones if that was all right."

Just as Jo opened her mouth to speak, Henry cleared his throat, and she turned, blushing at the sight of her husband, friends, and coworkers watching with surprise on their faces. "Right. Sorry." She grabbed both Ricco and Tess's hands, tugging them with her as she returned to the others. "Henry, Grace, Allison, this is my brother, Sergeant Ricardo Lupo, and my sister-in-law, Tess Fontana. Tessie, Ricci, this is Doctor Deacon, Doctor Monroe, and Doctor Blake, and you know my husband, Zane-"

Pleasantries were exchanged, and Jo kept herself happily wedged between her brother and his fiancee; Tess kept her arm tight around the younger woman's waist, and she reached up, taking Jo's hand to study the rings she wore. "Oh... Phina, why didn't you say anything about getting married? I remember you chasing after us through Perth A with your hair still in pigtails and your knees scraped up and your dad telling us to watch you and Luca-"

Jo quickly pulled away, nervously reaching up to tighten her ponytail and fix her blazer; the others laughed softly, and Rowley, finally over her surprise, snorted softly. "Yeah I... I haven't worn my hair in pigtails since I was six, and the last time I scraped my knees, I think I was... _maybe_ thirteen and fell off my bike-"

"If _that's_ what you're thinking Josie-Lou, _that_ was the year Davie rolled you off the roof in the garbage bin and called it 'basic training,' because he convinced you that we had to pass basic training before being allowed to enter the base at Fort Hood," Ricco replied, and his sister paled as Tess glanced between the siblings and then met the others' gazes, confused. "I'm amazed you didn't do more damage rolling off that roof-"

_"What?"_

But the siblings waved it away; the Security Director turned to her brother and sister-in-law as Zane made his way towards her, sliding his arms around her waist and tugging her close. "Our house for dinner?" She closed her eyes as Zane pressed a kiss to her cheek. "We know three girls who will be thrilled to see you both."

That night, Zane and Jo picked the girls up from dance; they were thrilled to see Tess and Ricco. Over Eggplant Parmesan and Greek salad, Ricco caught them up on what it was like to adjust to being back stateside and Tess told them exactly how he'd proposed-

"When's the wedding?" Ela asked excitedly; Zane merely rolled his eyes as the others laughed. She was like Jo, who, despite being the youngest and only girl, had dreamed of her white wedding from the time she was a child.

"We were thinking in a couple years," Tess replied, taking Ricco's hand with a gentle squeeze. "Give us both enough time to adjust to being back together." As Zane and Jo cleared the dishes after dinner he asked,

"You think we should tell them?" She froze before meeting his gaze.

"Do you want to?"

"It might make things easier, that way we aren't keeping anything from them, Jojo," He replied, setting the dishes in the dishwasher as she handed them to him. "And who knows, they might be able to help. What's Ricco's degree in again?"

"He was an Army medic. And I'm not sure about Tess. The Tess _I_ knew- the one I went to school with that _wasn't_ in Eureka-" She stopped, licking her lips nervously. He tugged her close, giving her time to gather her thoughts. After several minutes, she swallowed thickly and choked out, "The... that... Tessie Fontana didn't even _graduate_ high school. She was killed." Zane watched her, hearing the tears beginning to clog her voice. "In a mugging when I was a kid; she and Ricci were coming back from a date and they were cornered on the street. Ricci was beat, and Tessie was raped and then stabbed to death... she bled out in a back alley, and Ricci was in such bad shape that he couldn't identify her at first. The only reason he turned out as good as he _did_ is because Dad shipped him off to military academy not long after it happened to curb the issues that came up-"

"Leaving you, Davie, and Luca at home." Zane finished, and she nodded, taking a deep breath. A moment passed, before she lifted her head and Zane saw the tears in her eyes.

"Tessie _died_ in my original and Ricci rebelled and Luca was killed in war; I don't know what happened to her in the Alternate timeline. My guess would be it was the same as my original so... so to see her _safe_ and grown up and _alive_ in this one... when the last memory I _have_ of her is of a fifteen-year-old _mugging victim_..." She shook her head, reaching up to wipe the tears off her cheeks as Zane pulled her back into his arms. " _You don't know how much this means to me_ , Zane. I _loved_ Tessie _so much_. I wanted her to be my sister-in-law, and when she died-"

He held her close, rocking gently back and forth; the girls watched from the doorway, having heard everything. "Aunt Tessie died?"

Their parents looked up at Ela's soft question and after a moment, Jo stepped back, taking a deep breath. Ela went to her, wrapping her arms around her mother; Jo held her close. "In my original timeline she did, and I would guess she probably did in my Alternate as well."

"What exactly do you mean by, I _'died?'_ Phina, what's going on?"


	64. Chapter 64

Jo felt her heart stop- for the briefest of moments, she wondered if this was what if felt like to have a heart attack- and then slowly, she lifted her gaze from her youngest daughter. Ela curled further into her mother's side, wrapping her arms tight around Jo's waist.

Tess and Ricco stood in the doorway, looks of concern on their faces. The last time Ricco had seen that look in his sister's eye, was when their father died. "Josie, what's going on?"

 _"Shall I activate sonic protocols_ , _Jo?"_ AIDA's voice broke the silence, and both Ricco and Tess looked up in surprise; they remembered that Jo had said something about living in a smart house, but the voice was so quiet, they'd forgotten that this wasn't a regular house-

The Security Director sighed. "Please, AIDA, and thank you." She gently pulled away from Ela and turned to fixing coffee as Zane laid a hand on his brother-in-law's shoulder; Ricco turned to the younger man. He liked Zane, he really did; he'd given his sister three beautiful daughters, took care of his family, and he was good for Josie in so many ways. But he also made her happy, which is all Ricco truly wanted for his baby sister, but if she was in any sort of danger-

"Come on, let's go into the living room; there's something Jo and I have to tell you."

Over coffee, the couple listened, stunned, as Jo and Zane told them the truth of what had happened- Jo told them what had happened in her original timeline; how the Tess from her timeline had died in a mugging and Ricco had been sent to military academy afterwards because he couldn't handle losing her; she explained that in her original timeline it had been two-thousand-ten. She told them about what had happened on Founders Day in her original timeline and how she'd ended up going back to nineteen-forty-seven with four others and when she came back they brought founder Charles Grant with them unknowingly and changed the timeline, the differences in those two timelines and then the differences with this one, the time slip or change or whatever had caused them to switch places, and then Zane explained what had _really_ been going on in their marriage-

By the end of it both Tess and Ricco were stunned; Tess glanced at the girls and noticed how calm they all seemed to be- clearly they'd had time to absorb and accept all this if the way they clung to Jo was any indication. And Jo- she seemed to genuinely care about the girls, girls who weren't even hers-

"I know what you're thinking, Tessie, but they _are_ mine; I just don't remember giving birth to them, but they _are_ my children- they're _my_ daughters, regardless of what timeline I'm from." Jo dropped into the armchair where the girls were sitting, resting her elbows on her knees with a sigh and Anna snuggled into her side as Cate, perched on the arm, wrapped her own arms around Jo's neck and rested her head against the older woman's. Jo wrapped an arm around Anna and pressed a kiss to her curls as she reached up and took Cate's hands, squeezing gently. Only Ela remained curled into Zane's side.

A flash of warmth pooled in Tess's stomach as she thought back to the little girl she'd known in Perth A. _Phina always_ did _want children, even if she pretended that she didn't. I guess regardless of the timeline, she got her wish, which, as long as she's happy, that's all that matters, and she certainly seems happy._

But Ricco, who'd listened to all this, couldn't seem to wrap his head around the fact that the woman sitting before him wasn't _exactly_ the woman he'd grown up with. "Wait, back up. So... so you're _saying_ that that _my_ Jo- my _baby sister_ \- is no longer here? What the _hell_ , Zane?" The Section Five Director didn't fight as Ricco stood and grabbed the front of his shirt, yanking him until they were nose to nose. " _Where the hell is my baby sister_ , _Donovan? What did you do with her?"_

_"Ric!"_

_"Uncle Ricco_ , _stop!"_

 _"I'm right here_ , _Ricci!"_ Jo snapped, managing to wedge herself between her brother and her husband. _"This timeline, my timeline, the alternate timeline- it doesn't matter!_ I'm _still_ your sister in _all_ of them! Just because I have a _slightly_ different past doesn't mean I'm not! I _still love you_ and _Davie_ and _Luca_ , and I always will, even if you're all _still_ gigantic pains in my ass!" She slammed her hands on her hips, narrowing her gaze. _"This isn't Zane's fault, Ricci! If anyone's to blame, it's me! I'm the one who went through the time change- even if I didn't realize it at the time! Zane's been trying to figure out how I ended up here and-"_ She stopped.

"And?" Tess asked softly; Jo met her gaze.

"And how to send me back." She met her brother's gaze.

Ricco narrowed his gaze; his next words bit, cutting like the sharpest of scalpels- words he'd regret for the rest of his life, simply for the look on Jo's face when they left his mouth. "So, are you saying, that _if_ he's able to send you back to _wherever_ the _hell you came from_ , then does that mean I'll get _my_ little sister back?"

Tears filled her caramel gaze, and though she tried so hard not to show it, the heartbreak that crossed her face quickly destroyed the anger that had filled his words. _I'm your little sister, Ricco, regardless of what timeline I'm from._

 _"Phina-"_ Tess reached for her, but Jo pulled away, stumbling back as tears slowly coursed down her cheeks.

_"Jo, wait-"_

_"Mama-"_

She didn't say a word; instead she merely shook her head at Ricco before turning and bolting upstairs. The bedroom door slammed, making it very clear that no matter what Ricco said or did to apologize, his words had done more damage than the deadliest enemy fire, because this- this was friendly, and friendly fire was the deadliest of all.


	65. Chapter 65

Someone slipped inside, shutting the door softly behind them; they toed off their shoes and climbed onto the bed.

" _Oh_ , _Jo_ ," She let Zane tug her close; he pulled her into his arms, curving tight around her in comfort. She looked up before shifting to face him and burrowing into his chest. Zane held her tight against him, pressing kisses to her head. "My Jojo, my darling, I'm _so sorry_ ," He stroked a hand comfortingly up and down her back as he continued to brush kisses against her skin. "I _love you, so, so much._ "

A soft knock pulled his attention away from his wife and he sat up, pulling her with him and into his lap; he kissed her head, whispering softly to her. "Come in."

"Zane?" Tess stood in the doorway, watching nervously; regardless of timeline, Tess hated seeing Jo in pain- she loved Jo, deeply, and knew that what Ricco had said had hurt the younger woman. "Can I talk to Phina real quick?"

A moment passed, and Tess saw him weigh the options before finally he nodded and slipped off the bed with a kiss to her hair. Once he was gone, Tess joined Jo on the bed, tucking her legs underneath her as the younger woman curled up among the pillows of their bed. Silence settled between the two women for several minutes, and the strawberry blonde found herself studying her fiance's younger sister.

She didn't look any different- same long black hair and soft olive skin, same caramel eyes and same small features but there were notable differences as well. She remembered going with the teenager when she got her nose pierced, and the freak out her brothers had after she returned to the house with a diamond stud in her nose. It was evident to the older woman that this Jo had never had anything other than her ears pierced. She'd also never given birth- Tess remembered that Jo had told her once when they were younger, that she had wanted children, lots and lots of children.

_"At least seven! Maybe even eight or nine!"_

_"Could you really handle being a mother to nine children, Phina?"_

_"Of course I can, Tessie!"_

_"What about your husband, Phina? Maybe he won't_ want _nine children-"_

_"Of course he'll want nine children, Tessie! He'll want a big family, just like I will. And we'll have a huge house with lots of rooms and lots of space and it'll be chaotic and loving and no one will be in the military so we won't have to constantly move and change schools and no one will ever get sick or die of diseases... it'll be nothing but love and happiness and laughter-"_

She met Jo's gaze; the younger woman quickly wiped at her eyes and sat up. "Go on, Tessie. Tell me how I'm 'not the girl you remember' and how you 'can't wait until I go back to my timeline-'"

"I don't think that, Phina. I don't think that at all." She scooted closer, reaching out to take her hand. "Sure, there are differences, but from what I can see, you're still the same girl I grew up knowing." She cocked her head, studying the familiar features. "Do you remember when we went and you got your nose pierced?"

Jo furrowed a brow. "I've never gotten my nose pierced, Tessie."

Tess nodded. "What about the shark bites?" Another strange look. "The Helix piercing?"

Nervously, the other woman reached up, tucking her hair behind her ear; Tess couldn't help the quick smile that tugged at her lips as she noticed the simple silver hoops at the top of her right ear. "Luca went with me; we snuck out of the house the week before I turned sixteen, and Luca got a tattoo when I got the piercings. Dad flipped and threatened to send us both to military academy with Ricco-" She stopped, her caramel eyes filling.

Silence settled between them, and gently Tess reached up to catch the tears, her brain working overtime. Sure, she wasn't a genius like Jo or Zane, or a brilliant doctor like Ricco; sure, her talents rested more in the creative fields- editing and publishing, even if the number of things she edited were scientific journals- but that didn't mean she wasn't good at reading people. And regardless of the timeline, Jo was still Jo- she still loved with all her heart, and saw the good in people, and was fiercely loyal to her brothers, and protective of those she considered family.

"Tell me about it." A moment passed, before Tess slipped out of her shoes and set them by the bed before shifting to lay down; the other woman watched her, confused.

"What?"

Tess turned her head to meet her gaze. "Your other timeline. Tell me about it."

Silence fell, before Jo slowly began to speak, playing with her hands. "I came to Eureka as the town's deputy under Sheriff Cobb-" But she stopped when Tess reached up and grabbed her wrist, tugging gently.

"I can't hear you if you sit up there." She chided gently, continuing to tug. "Come _lay down here next to me_ ,and tell me about your timeline."

The tiniest of smiles tugged at Jo's lips as she realized what the other woman was doing, and she quickly moved to lay on her back beside the strawberry blonde. Head to head, Tess snuggled close, noticing how the younger woman immediately relaxed. "There, that's better. _Now_ , you were the town deputy..."

Jo continued her story, leaving nothing out as she painted a picture of a Eureka that was no longer there; from ancient hyperactive love spores that made the sheriff irresistible to women, to an underground maze of bunkers with mysterious purple liquid that accelerated aging, to the town turning into a second Ice Age and taking up residence in her boyfriend's brain, to a ship built and launched twenty years earlier returning home with an organic computer that looked like Henry's former wife, and a computer virus that lived in organic computers, Jo told Tess all of it- every last detail and instance; every little detail that was different to the timeline she was in now and the timeline she'd left before.

She told her about the Tess Fontana who had come to GD as the Section Five Head who had been Allison's best friend from university, and how the time change had happened on Founders' Day, how she'd adjusted as well as she could to being the Head of Security but losing Zane and two years of love and laughter- and finally, what had driven her to leave her Eureka and how she'd ended up in this one and the challenges and changes she'd faced since arriving nearly nine months earlier.

And Tess listened to every word, letting her talk and get it all out; she listened as Jo talked about the differences between this Zane and the ones from both her Alternate and original timeline, and how she'd found herself slowly falling in love with this Zane and her deep desire to stay, "Tessie? Is it selfish of me that I hope they _don't_ figure out how I ended up here?" She met Jo's gaze, saw the tears in her eyes. "I _love him_ ; I _love the girls_ \- this life is _everything_ I ever wanted. I don't want to go back; I can't imagine going back to the Alternate timeline where I don't have this life."

She shifted to face Jo reaching up to catch her tears. "I want more. I feel like I... like I've been given a time limit, and once they figure out how I ended up here and how to send me back, I'll have to leave- I don't want to. I want to stay; I want to spend the rest of my life married to Zane... I want more babies, as many as I'm allowed-"

"Would he really want nine children?" It slipped out; there was no guarantee this Jo had ever had that conversation-

"Of course he'll want nine children, Tessie. Zane told me himself- he wants a big family. We both do. She didn't, but I do. And," She looked around the room. "sure, this house is small on the outside, but we added Anna and Ela's rooms on; we can add more as we have more children."

"This house will get awfully crowded and cramped with nine children, won't it, Phina?" Tess asked, propping her head on her elbow; Jo's eyes glistened with unshed tears and a light Tess had last seen when the girl was about seven or so.

"Zane doesn't want to move; he keeps telling me that Coriolis Loop is our home. The houses on Los Altos are bigger- and since he's the Director of Section Five, he pretty much belongs on Los Altos, but Zane's happy here and the girls are happy here. We can always add more rooms on and make more space; it's a TARDIS house. Besides," Jo settled back among the blankets. "the chaos and close quarters will mean it's more homey and loving," She stopped, thinking. "And since I'm no longer in the military, it means we won't have to move constantly, so the girls won't have to change schools. And since we live in Eureka, we have the best medical advances around, which means no one will ever get sick... it'll be nothing but love and happiness and laughter and children- lots and lots of children."

She turned to meet Tess's gaze, mirroring her stance and nervously nibbled on her nail. "I want a baby, but... what if I end up going back and end up in the wrong timeline again? Or what if I end up in the right timeline? The number of times I've thought about asking Zane if we could try- I'm afraid a baby might complicate things-"

"You have time, Phina, you don't have to rush."

"I know, I just... I guess I'm jealous of her. She got what I've _always wanted_ and she _never_ appreciated it and- she loved the girls, I'm sure, but... but _it's not fair._ I've _always_ wanted a family, I've _always_ wanted children, and she had that, and she took it for granted-" She shook her head, crumbling under the realization. " _I hate her! I hate that she got what I longed to have, and never saw it as nothing more than a burden! And Zane- he's a wonderful, beautiful man, and he put up with so much for so long! And he loved her, he really did! How can I ever compete with the woman who gave him children? I can't! How do I know he doesn't want her back? That he's just biding his time until he can get her back, when she didn't want him! She didn't want him! She didn't love him! She never loved him! I do! I do and I don't want to lose him, but I will-"_ She broke down fully then, and Tess pulled her close, letting her cry.

_"I hate her! I hate her so much! She took everything wonderful in her life for granted! And I lost everything! I lost the man I loved and two years of a relationship he didn't remember, and here in this timeline she had everything I ever wanted and she threw it all away for an affair that in my timeline never happened! She took the man I love for granted! I would never take him for granted! I love him and I'm glad she's gone! I'm glad I took her place! I hope she never comes back!"_

Tess pressed a firm kiss to her head, glancing over her shoulder as the door opened softly; she could see Zane, the girls and Ricco watching, and after a moment, turned back to Jo, pressing another firm kiss to the familiar black hair. " _This is my timeline! Mine! He's my Zane and those girls are mine! Not hers! They're mine..."_


	66. Chapter 66

Though they hadn't come to blows, Zane _had_ tried to talk Ricco into understanding, but the oldest of his brothers-in-law was just as stubborn as his wife. He had a feeling that only Jo could make him understand that though she was from a different timeline, she was still the same girl he'd grown up with. Zane loved his brothers-in-law but sometimes he wondered if it would have been easier if he'd had sisters-in-law instead. There probably wouldn't be the high probability of burying his body and never being able to find it again-

By the time she came back downstairs with Tess, she was a lot calmer, but that didn't mean she and Ricco were speaking; tense silence had filled the house before Tess finally told Ricco that he needed to listen to Jo and that even though she was from a different timeline, she was still the same; it was quite funny to see the former Army medic being told off by his very petite fiancee, and Zane tried exceedingly hard not to laugh, knowing it would get him nowhere. By the time they left, Ricco and Jo managed to shakily patch things up for the night; Tess being able to get to the bottom of the issue- or at least one of the issues- had definitely helped, and the siblings promised to meet at AIDA for lunch the next day to truly talk.

Tess gave Jo a quick kiss to the forehead, promising to come so she could keep Ricco in check, which Jo was silently grateful. After they left, Jo helped the girls put the leftovers in the fridge and as she moved to help with the dishes, Zane tugged Jo into his arms and kissed her deeply; her brow furrowed in confusion as he broke the kiss. "What was that for?"

But his answer was to kiss her again, deeper this time, as he tugged her closer, sliding an arm tight around her waist and lifting her lightly onto her toes. When he finally broke the kiss, he rested his forehead to hers, relishing the feel of her in his arms. "I love you, _so much_."

"I love you, too, Zane," She breathed, resting her hands against his chest, "But-"

"You're _my_ Jo, too," He pressed a soft kiss to her temple. He pulled her closer- if that was possible- wrapping his arms tighter around her waist until she was flush against him. "And I would _love_ to try for another baby."

He heard her breath catch and nodded, nuzzling against her cheek tenderly. "Zane-"

"I love our girls, but I would _love_ to have as many children as we can possibly have. I've always wanted a large family." He reached up, taking her face in his hands. "If you'll have me, Jo."

"I- I don't-"

"Make an honest man out of me, Jojo." A plate shattered, and they both turned; Cate let out a squeal, covering her mouth as her sisters shushed her eagerly. The girls gathered together, waiting and watching for her to respond. She turned back to him.

_"Marry me, Jojo."_

"Zane-" She stepped back as much as he would allow. "I don't know what to say-"

He scoffed gently and she watched a familiar flicker dance through his blue eyes. "Ah..."

_"Ah... how about yes?"_

"Say yes, Jojo."

She glanced at the girls, who all nodded eagerly. "Zane-" She shook her head. "No one gets married twice-"

" _Technically_ , it'd be your first time, Mama," Anna replied, as Cate elbowed her sister hard in the ribs. "Ow! Catie!" She glared at her sister before turning back to her parents. "And it's called a-"

 _"Vow renewal! It's a vow renewal! Say yes, Mama!"_ Ela begged, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

_"Elie!"_

Jo glanced between the girls and Zane and back; this was all too overwhelming. She couldn't think clearly... and this was very, very much a surprise, and Jo didn't _do_ surprises. Zane pulled her back, catching her chin so that she could focus on him and not the girls, sensing that she was overwhelmed. A moment passed, before he leaned down, lips brushing against hers softly as he breathed,

"Please, Jojo. I'm asking as a man deeply in love. Make an honest man out of me-"

"You're already an honest man, Zane," She replied, shaking her head; he moved to catch her mouth but she pulled back, feeling a soft grin tug at her lips as she rose onto her toes, "Shouldn't it be _you_ , making an honest woman out of _me_?"

Their lips met in a soft kiss that soon turned deep, and he lifted her briefly off her feet as his arms tightened around her waist; a moment passed as he broke the kiss, slowly meeting her gaze, trying hard to hide the hope creeping into his voice, "Is that your way of saying-"

She glanced at the girls before resting a finger against his lips. "In any timeline."

"Yes?"

"In any timeline, Zane."

"Are you saying yes?"

She nuzzled against him. "In any timeline, babe."

He forced her away from him, holding her at arms length as he met her gaze. " _Don't play_ with me, Jojo, you hear me? No more playing games. Yes or n-"

She smiled softly, reaching up and capturing his mouth with hers in a deep kiss. He pulled her close, drinking her in deeply before slowly pulling away and meeting her gaze. Before he could speak however, she interrupted him. "Yes, Zane, I _will_ marry you." The words that had once broken her heart now left her lips again and she prayed for a different outcome.

_"Me, marry you?"_

Now that she had actually said the words, he didn't seem to believe them. "You will?"

She nodded.

_"In what universe?"_

"In _any_ timeline."


	67. Chapter 67

By the time Tess and Ricco arrived for lunch the next day, the normal Donovan chaos had ensued- something had been set on fire, something had exploded, someone had hacked into something, and someone had threatened to shoot someone else- and Carter's jail cell had been threatened at least twice, which surprisingly, stopped the chaos from getting any worse. With things finally somewhat calm in the house, the girls came rambling down the stairs, all noise and chatter, when Ricco and Tess stepped into the house on Coriolis Loop that morning.

"- but is Mama going to wear a wedding dress-"

"It's a _vow renewal_ , Elie, not a wedding-"

"To the rest of the _town_ it's a vow renewal, _Annie_ , but all the _important_ people know it's really a wedding!"

"Mama said it herself- no one wears a big white dress their second time around-"

" _Technically_ , it's Daddy's second time; it's Mama's _first_ -"

"Oh, _who asked you_ , Catie?"

"Ah... whatcha cluckin' about, chickadees?" The girls slammed into each other at the base of the stairs, all startled to see their aunt and uncle in the foyer. Tess' question hung in the air as the girls stared at them in shock; Cate and Anna smiled nervously at the pair while Ela-

 _"Mama! Daddy! Aunt Tessie and Uncle Ricco are here!"_ Her sisters jumped at Ela's loud declaration, covering their ears with looks of annoyance. Tess snorted softly in amusement; she didn't know Jo and Zane that well, but she could see that this was clearly a normal occurrence in the household- one child was _always_ louder than the others and didn't understand what an inside voice was.

_"Eleanora!"_

" _Must_ you shout at _every turn_ , Eleanora Rosalie?" Jo's calm yet annoyed voice broke through the clatter as she came in from the kitchen. "Who _raised_ you?" Ricco couldn't hide the smirk; he recognized exactly who had raised his youngest niece. Zane's soft chuckle reached their ears as he passed by, going to Jo and kissing her head as he passed towards the kitchen.

"That would be you, babe. Come on, pups, wash up!" Jo rolled her eyes, but turned back to her brother and his wife.

"Come on, I'll show you out back."

They stepped out onto the spacious back porch, and Tess felt her jaw drop at the size of their backyard. The old wooden swing was in one corner of the yard and there was enough space for a garden- both flowers and vegetables if they wanted- and still plenty of space to run and play. The back porch itself was good sized and spacious, and they'd set out a picnic. "The girls suggested a picnic, since the weather's nice and we figured why not?"

"It's beautiful." Tess breathed; Jo grinned hands on her hips.

"This house is perfect." She breathed, reaching up to cover Zane's hands as he wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled her close with a squeeze, kissing her temple.

"Come on, let's eat."

Over pasta salad and sandwiches, Jo told them everything; she left nothing out, making sure to emphasize the differences in her timelines and asking Ricco questions about his childhood with her and telling him about her childhood growing up in the original timeline; a lot was similar, even if there were minor differences. She shook her head at one point, setting down her glass of cider. "I've never gotten my nose pierced or my lip; you all freaked when I came home with a double helix at sixteen- and then freaked at Luca when you realized that he'd gone with me and gotten a _tattoo_ instead of stopping me- which, you should have known better, because of the three of you, I was always closest to Luca."

"Was?" Tess asked; Jo's face fell.

"In _my_ timeline, Luca and I both went over after the towers fell, same as here; the difference is that in my timeline," She stopped, swallowing hard as Zane gently rubbed her back reassuringly. "in my timeline, I was captured, but I came home after a period- badly injured- and Luca," She released a slow breath. "Luca came home in a flag draped coffin."

"Oh, Phina-"

"Between losing _you_ in high school," She met Tess's gaze. "what I went through, and losing Luca- because he died saving me- it was too much" She met Ricco's gaze. "I got addicted to painkillers after getting out of hospital and didn't get clean for a couple years; after everything we'd gone through, you and Davie just," She shrugged. "you let me. None of us were in any shape to care for ourselves, let alone each other. Luca was the straw that broke the camel's back and just made all three of us go, 'screw it, it's not worth it right now.'"

Ricco let her words sink in; he couldn't deny that if something had happened and they'd lost one of them, that the others would have done what happened in her timeline. They continued to share stories and exchange information, eventually moving back into the house for coffee and scones, which the girls had helped Jo make that morning.

"So, I guess a lot of things are pretty similar between our-" The former Army medic paused, and she filled in the blanks for him.

"- two timelines?" She slid a cup of coffee across the island towards him and a plate. "I never meant to take her place, Ricci, it just happened. I went through some sort of... time warp or anomaly or something and ended up here instead of back in in my timeline. Zane's still trying to figure that out." She didn't look up as Tess came into the kitchen with Zane, lost in conversation. "And in the meantime, we have a vow renewal to plan."

"It's a _wedding_ , Mama." Ela replied, ducking between Jo and the counter and grabbing a scone; her mother wrapped an arm around her, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek.

"No, Elie-jelly, it's a _vow renewal_."

"For _Daddy_ it's a vow renewal; for _you_ it's a wedding. _You've_ never been married before," The girl replied looking up at her; Jo rolled her eyes. The ten-year-old ducked back out of her mother's embrace racing to join her sisters. "Thank you, Mama!" Tess chuckled, accepting the coffee Jo handed her.

"Someone's excited," Her friend rolled her eyes. "When did he ask?"

"Last night, after you'd left-"

"Took her forever to say 'yes'. I _swear_ , Ricco, regardless of timeline, your sister has the most roundabout way of answering one simple question." Zane cut in, picking up Jo's coffee cup and taking a sip; she smacked him lightly on the chest with a look of annoyance and took the cup back, accepting a kiss in return as he slid an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

By the time they left the siblings were on better terms. Ricco pulled Jo into his arms, swaying gently back and forth with her. "I'll never understand-"

"I'm not asking you to understand, Ricci," She replied. "I just want you to love me like you always have. I'm still me, I'm just not from this timeline. That doesn't mean I love any of you any less, it just means my memories are slightly different, that's all. Can you try and love me even though I'm not her?"

He sighed, pressing a kiss to her hair, and Jo tensed. "I've never had to try. I've loved you from the moment you were born, Josie-Lou-Who, that's never going to change, no matter where you're from." She relaxed and he squeezed her tighter before kissing her forehead. "Zane's lucky to have you; as far as brothers-in-law go he's fairly decent to have and he keeps you from going too AWOL." She shoved him gently and he laughed. "I love you, Josie."

She burrowed into him briefly, like she used to do when they were kids. "I love you, too, Ricci."


	68. Chapter 68

Tess and Ricco promised to be back at the end of the week for Thanksgiving- something that the girls were excited for, and when dinner rolled around, they managed to talk Jo and Zane into going to Cafe Diem, partially for the food- because Vincent had pizza on Saturdays- and partially because they knew the majority of their aunts and uncles would be there and the girls were eager to share their parents' good news.

So it was mild chaos that the family stepped into that night when they made the short walk from Coriolis to Cafe Diem; Vincent glanced up, waving to them from the counter. "Give me a few minutes and I'll have a table clear for you-"

"No rush, Vincent." Zane replied, wrapping an arm around Jo's waist and tugging her into his side with a kiss to her head. He glanced at her, an entire conversation passing between them in minutes, and chuckled, turning back to the chef. "Hey, Vince?" The other man immediately turned to the couple. "Can we get a couple glasses of champagne and some cider for the girls?"

"Sure thing, Zane, coming-" The other man stopped, turning back. He knew the Donovans' orders like every corner of his walk-in fridge, and very, _very_ rarely did either of them drink. Zane hardly touched the stuff and Jo would, on occasion, have a shot of ouzo or a glass of wine with Allison or the girls- on very rare occasions she'd have a beer if Carter managed to talk her into one- but never had they asked for- "Did you say champagne?"

The Section Five Director looked up from the kiss he placed on her forehead, and smiled at him. "I did."

"Ah- can I ask what's the occasion?"

Zane glanced at his wife, who gently rubbed a hand along his abs as she pulled him closer; she nodded. "We're getting married."

Vincent felt a thrill go through him and he grinned before, "Ah, Zane, you and Jo are _already_ married."

The younger man opened his mouth to speak before realizing how it sounded, as Jo buried her face in his chest with a giggle- an odd sight and sound for the normally stoic, straight-laced Security Director. Ela, who'd been teeming with excitement from the moment her mother agreed the night before, glanced at her parents before turning back to Vincent. Her constant questions of, _"Can we tell him, Mama?"_ had annoyed her sisters so much, they'd all but sat on her to keep her quiet. Now though, she turned to the tubby chef and cried,

"It's a _vow renewal_ , Vincent!" The entire cafe fell silent as every set of eyes turned to stare at the couple and the chef grinned. "Though for Mama, it's a wed-"

Anna, thinking quickly, wrapped her arms around her baby sister's neck and shoulders, making sure her arm came over Ela's mouth to stop her; Cate, who'd moved to one of the empty stools closest to her parents, stopped her spinning and laughed.

"A vow renewal?" Vincent asked, and Zane nodded, glancing at his wife.

"We kinda figured, that we need a fresh start after everything that's happened," He tugged Jo close, kissing her sweetly before turning back to the chef. "What better way for a fresh start that renewing our vows?" Jo curled further into his embrace, and he kissed her head. "So, Vincent, about that champagne-"

The other man straightened immediately. "Two glasses and three cups of cider coming up."

Once he was gone, those in the café came up to wish the pair congratulations; Allison pulled Jo into her arms. The older woman squeezed her best friend tight with a squeal. "When are you thinking of having the ceremony?" She caught the glance the couple shared as she pulled away and let Grace and Henry hug the Security Director.

"We were thinking next week." Jo replied, smiling at Vincent as he brought the drinks out.

"But that's Thanksgiving-"

"We know," Zane said, kissing Jo softly. "And the girls are off school for break, which means they can be there, and Ricco and Tess agreed to come down for the wedding and my mom will be out here for Thanksgiving anyway, so we figured-" He shrugged; Allison took Jo's hand, squeezing gently.

"Well, we'll help you with anything and everything you need-"

"Flowers, the location, we'll help you pick a dress-" Grace added, and Jo shook her head.

"Oh, that's okay; no one wears a big white dress their second time around, and certainly not for a vow renewal-"

"But it's not just a vow renewal, Jo," Grace replied, sliding an arm through hers. "it's your wedding. Didn't you ever dream of your wedding when you were a kid?"

The younger woman thought a moment before nodding, accepting the glass of champagne Zane held out to her with a kiss. "Of course I did-" The chatter among the group continued for several minutes until the ringing of metal on glass forced silence. Everyone turned towards Rowley, who held up her glass.

"One of my very best friends is getting remarried." The redhead met Jo's gaze with a smile. "I grew up with Josie in Perth A; she is probably one of the sweetest people I've ever met," She grinned at Zane. "and then she came to Eureka and met the town delinquent," Soft laughter met her words. "and none of us thought she'd actually fall for him and if she did, it wouldn't last, but it did and this has been the happiest we've ever seen Josie."

She watched Zane wrap his arms tight around her waist; she reached up to caress his cheek as their lips met in a sweet kiss. "Fourteen years and three beautiful babies later, and she's _still_ happily in love with Zane; they're a wonderful match and he makes her very happy, which is all we ever wanted for Josie. We couldn't have asked for a better man to be married to our best friend, and they complete each other. Despite their differences, they're the perfect match and belong together in every way, shape and form. This is a fresh start for Zane and Josie, and I wish them the absolute best in every aspect in this new chapter of their lives. Congratulations, Zane and Josie."

Everyone raised their glasses in agreement as the couple shared a soft kiss.


	69. Chapter 69

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Worst Case Scenario- and Zane's Daddy-ness is definitely coming through in this chapter

The first day of Thanksgiving break dawned bright and early for the Donovan household; for the girls they could go back to bed or curl up on the sofa and watch movies if they wished, but just because the girls were off for the holiday break, didn't mean their parents were. "Can we work on wedding stuff today, Mama?" Ela asked, as Zane set a glass of orange juice in front of his youngest daughter.

"Sorry, baby, but we've got disaster drills today." Jo replied, setting the empty glass of orange juice she'd been drinking into the sink after rinsing it.

"Disaster drills?" Zane glanced at Jo as she ruffled Anna's hair; the messy braids hung down the girl's back with small black pieces sticking out at all angles. "What are those?"

"Are those the _stupid_ things you have to do to figure out how to get everyone out of GD in time with not as many deaths or injuries?" Cate asked, taking a bite of her pancakes. Syrup dribbled down her chin and she quickly grabbed a napkin to stop it.

"Mhm. Uncle Henry decided those would be the best way to determine how major disasters at GD are handled." Zane replied, taking a fork and spearing a strawberry off Cate's plate, much to his oldest daughter's chagrin.

_"Daddy!"_

_"Catie!"_ Zane whined in soft mockery, before gently bopping her nose with the syrup-covered strawberry and taking the bite; Cat giggled as she wiped the syrup off her nose.

"Meaning what?" Ela asked, pushing her eggs around on her plate.

"Meaning Doctor Clark, who developed the system, pretends to blow stuff up to see how well prepared we are," Jo replied, going to her youngest daughter and brushing her fingers through her black bangs. "Eat your eggs, Eleanora Rosalie." The girl wrinkled her nose, and sighed. "But I think he uses some sort of computer program to help us and records the data."

"Yes, Mama."

"ADA." Zane replied as the girls shared confused glances.

"AIDA?" Anna asked after a beat.

Their parents shared a glance. "No, baby. ADA- Advanced Disaster Actuator; it's Doctor Clark's system. AIDA is-"

 _"I'm an Automated Inhabitable Designer Apartment, Anna, not a disaster actuator, whatever that is."_ The soft spoken AI replied at Anna's slow nod as the girl brought her plate to the counter and reached for the syrup container.

 _"Right."_ The middle Donovan girl glanced at her parents; she was similar to Jo in the sense that she didn't fully trust technology until she was around it for a while- which was kind of ironic, considering that unlike their parents, Anna and her sisters had been born in Eureka, and so been surrounded by the latest technology from the time they were in utero. But then again, Anna, Zane noted, was growing more and more like Jo every day. If the girl _didn't_ decide to follow in her mother's footsteps and either go the military- which Zane would be _eternally_ grateful if she didn't; he didn't understand how his mother-in-law had handled having a husband in the military, let alone all four of her children, even though by the time Jo and her brothers had joined, she had been cold in her grave a number of years - or law enforcement route by the time she reached eighteen, Zane would be exceedingly surprised. "AIDA... would never hurt us... would she, Daddy?"

The lights dimmed briefly and everyone froze; Zane, leaned back against the counter with his hands in the pockets of his dark jeans. Slowly, he let his eyes shift to the side, then up, then to the other side, his voice slow and deliberately cautious. "AIDA, you okay?"

 _"I'm fine, Zane, I just resent that Anna would believe I would ever harm any of you."_ The cool whirl of her soft voice belayed the hurt and mild annoyance the house felt at being accused of harming the humans she cared for and loved so much as the lights returned to normal.

"I'm not saying you _would_ , AIDA, I just find it suspicious that there's an AI who actually would _try_ to deliberately hurt my parents; I know you're not the same as SARAH or ANDY or the other AIs in town, and that you're all different in personality, but it's a _little_ scary that an AI can _deliberately_ try to harm people and-" Before the twelve-year-old could finish, the plate with the last of her pancakes was gone. "Hey! I wasn't finished with that!"

The lights once more dimmed and everyone froze. "AIDA, everything okay? Do you need me to call Fargo?" Jo asked, tightening her ponytail.

 _"Everything's fine, Jo,"_ The house replied; Anna's plate returned and the girl made a face reminiscent of her mother when she was majorly displeased. _"I just resent being accused of harming my family; I would never be able to live with myself if I ever hurt any of you in any way-"_

"AIDA, I _don't like eggs over easy!_ " Cate snorted into her orange juice and Ela ducked her head to keep from laughing at Anna's whine, as her plate returned with two fried eggs sitting in the middle of the syrup left from her pancakes.

Zane chuckled, going to his middle daughter. "Oh Annaleigh, my _baby_ , you know that old saying of, _'don't piss of the people who handle your food-'_ " The girl nodded. "Well, I'd say that goes for the AI, also." He opened the drawer and pulled out a fork, holding it out to her. "Just be grateful AIDA's not making you eat Brussel sprouts. I can't _count_ the number of times Granna made Auntie Claudia and I eat those because we pissed her off." The Section Five Director pressed a kiss to the girl's messy braids before moving away.

"Can you try not to _take_ your time with the lock bypass this time around, _please_?" The girls turned to their parents as they kissed each of them on the head before Zane rolled his eyes and adjusted his blazer, which Jo automatically moved to fix with a huff of annoyance.

"Come on Jojo, those drills are the _definition_ of bogus."

"Those drills save _lives_ , babe." She shoved him gently.

Zane snorted derisively. "I like roleplaying just as much as the next guy, but those stupid drills cut into the real work I have to do." He sighed, slipping his hands into his pockets as he met her gaze; the girls watched their parents, silently. "Now, is there anything else you wanna yell at me about? Might as well get this over with before get to GD, so we can focus on what ADA has in store for us."

A moment passed as the Security Director glanced at her daughters, screwing up her mouth briefly in thought. "Not right now, but maybe over dinner."

"Ah... I'm not sure when I'll be home."

The startled look in her eyes and the catch in her voice belayed her surprise. "You got a _date_?"

He gave her a look that screamed she'd jumped to conclusions. "I haven't had a _date_ since the _disaster_ that was Sunday brunch- unless you count every night I get to sit down with the four most gorgeous girls in Eureka." Soft giggles met him as his wife rolled her eyes and even AIDA let out a purr of amusement as he pulled her close.

"Jackass." She shoved him lightly and he caught her hand, kissing the rings she wore before moving to kiss her neck and the space beneath her ear. Jo let out a soft hum of contentment as his lips brushed along her jawline towards her lips and she heard the girls giggle behind her. The kiss was chaste and sweet and soft and he grinned as he kept his arm around her waist.

"I just have a meeting with the others in Section Five about a couple projects whose deadlines have been pushed back, that's all. I promise, if I'm not done by the time you clock out, then I'll be home in an hour for dinner; and if I'm _any later_ than that, I'll _call you_ , _all right_ , AIDA?" Zane finished, turning his gaze to the ceiling as his wife pulled away and grabbed her keys on the way to the door. He'd learned his lesson fourteen years ago, and didn't want a repeat performance.

_"Thank you, Zane, I would very much appreciate it."_

They turned to the girls, who still sat at the island. "Be good and please, _try_ not to cause too much chaos while Mama and I are at work." They nodded. "And mind AIDA; you three do something you're not supposed to, and Mama and I _will_ hear about it when we get home."

"Babe, let's go. We're gonna be late. AIDA, door."

Zane followed turning back to the girls as Jo dashed down the steps. "No plotting world destruction or domination, no hacking, no shooting anyone, _Annaleigh_ , and _no_ setting anything on fire until Mama and I get-" Though the girls were old enough, Zane had gotten into the habit of reminding them whenever they were staying home by themselves. Jo came back, grabbing his hand and yanking him from the house. _"And mind AIDA!"_

Cate glanced at her sisters, rolling her eyes. "What are we, toddlers? AIDA, door." Once it was closed, she put her plate in the sink and went to sprawl out on the sofa, the other girls joining her. "AIDA, _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_ , please."

_"I should have known that you would be here... Professor McGonagall."_


	70. Chapter 70

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So the scene in the last chapter were Zane is leaning against the counter and his eyes went from side to the ceiling to the other side is actually based on the scene in 'What Goes Around, Comes Around' when they're trying to figure out how to stop Lucas's experiment and Zane suggests using the missile to reverse the pole...

"I swear Zane, sometimes I don't understand your wife." The Section Five Director raised an eyebrow at the sheriff. Jack stuck his hands in his pockets. "GD is currently in the middle of its latest scientific crisis thanks to a _psychotic_ disaster simulation AI, and yet, your wife is wandering through the halls of GD like she's out for an afternoon stroll in the park after church and not risking her life."

Zane snorted, watching the security feed as his wife did just that through the halls of Section Twelve, hands behind her back, as though she were wandering around the Louvre, looking at priceless works of art on a sunny afternoon. "Seriously, Zane, _what_ is wrong with her?"

"You _really_ want me to answer that, Carter? Cause if you do, it'll take all day, and we ain't got all day."

The day had taken quite a turn; the couple had arrived at work to relative calm and quiet, only to be jarred by the simulation starting, and after ending the simulation with an overall score in the late eighties to nineties with three hundred injured and twenty-eight dead, ADA took a swan dive, triggering her real-life disaster drill. As Jo was now currently off to find the animal loose in the aggression lab, Zane was working on helping Henry try to keep everything online after making sure all the major projects in Section Five were taken care of. When he hurried down to the infirmary to check on Jo- having finally been told by Carter after helping keep the systems online, that his wife had just barely made it out of the aggression lab with her team and that they had needed respirators- he found her talking- well, arguing was more like it- with Allison.

"- I got three guys who can't be moved, so I can't be moved."

"Jo-"

" _I can't be moved_ , Al, because Binx, Samuels and Kasey can't be moved. I _don't_ leave my men behind. Now what can I do to help?"

The good doctor sighed. "You can hold someone's hand."

The Security Director nodded, turning to go back to one of her men- Zane hurried to her, grabbing her waist even as she tensed before turning to look up at him. _"Baby."_ She reached up, throwing her arms around his neck in a quick hug as he pressed a kiss to her head. "Carter didn't say- I had to practically twist his arm to get him to tell me anything-"

"Are the systems still online?" She asked, pulling away.

He huffed. "For now. Are you okay?"

"I'm okay; I'm just grateful I didn't have to give mouth-to-mouth to a hamster-" She chuckled softly at his strange look. "the animal loose in the Aggression lab." Before she could say anything else, another alarm sounded and Zane groaned.

"Shit. The EM shield's-"

"Offline." Jo finished for him. "Go! I'll see you later-" He kissed her quickly before they parted. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Once he was gone, she made he way to Binx, taking his hand. Jason Thackary- nicknamed Binx by Jo and the rest of his platoon because his last name was the first name of the cat in _Hocus Pocus_ \- had served under Jo- who they all called Lupin from _Harry Potter_ based on Remus Lupin and a play on her last name- in the War on Terror and had come to Eureka long before she had; he'd been thrilled to discover his old Lieutenant General had come to Eureka, and when she'd taken the position as Security Director he'd welcomed her personally.

_"'There are not enough children in the world to keep thee young and beautiful!'"_

_She looked up, grinning and stood. "'Thackary Binx, what took thee so long?'"_

_"'I'm sorry_ _,_ _Emily_ _,_ _but I had to wait three hundred years for a_ virgin _to light a_ candle _.'"_

_She laughed, accepting his hug. "It's good to see you again, Binx."_

_"About time you resurfaced, Lupin! Where have you been for the last few years?"_

_"Oh, you know, just up in Vancouver starting up a tech company."_

By the time they had figured out the problem and managed to fix it, everyone was ready to go home and not come back to GD for at least a month. Zane quickly ran through everything he needed for the next day, only glancing up as Jo entered the office with a sigh. He smiled softly, reaching out and taking her hands, tugging her towards him when she reached his desk. "Come here, babe."

He yanked a little too hard, stepping back until they toppled back into his desk, her landing in his lap; she laughed as he reached up to brush a wayward strand from her cheek before returning his arms to wrap around her waist, keeping her in place. "After today, the _last_ thing I want to do is go home and go over wedding stuff with the girls." He chuckled softly, nuzzling against her hair before pressing a kiss to her temple. "Because come on- _what brid_ e wears a big white dress to a _vow renewal_?"

"It doesn't _have_ to be a big white dress, Jojo, just simple white dress will do-"

She met his gaze. "My dress was simple-"

He considered it for a moment, wrinkling his nose. "Actually, it wasn't as simple as you think, babe."

She raised an eyebrow. "You know my style, baby. I hate frills and lace and princess-y crap. How could my- _her_ \- wedding dress _not_ be simple?"


	71. Chapter 71

Three days after the ADA incident, she went back and studied the pictures- how had she missed so much- _poof_?

Somehow, for some reason, her mind had pictured a pretty, simple, elegant form fitting dress- but judging by the photos, this wasn't the case. It looked like layers and layers and _layers_ of chiffon or some similar material as the skirt, and long off the shoulder _lace_ sleeves-

She took a deep breath, stepping out of the bathroom. As she stood in front of the mirror in their bedroom, she couldn't believe the sight before her. The dress she wore was-

She'd watched the videos of their wedding.

The dress was not 'beautiful' beautiful per say. It was beautiful in its own right, but Jo's style was much more simple, especially having grown up a strict Catholic religion where _everything_ was extravagant and almost overdone. At least not this Jo; but _this_ -

A column skirt with an A-line built around it, a sweetheart neckline and off the shoulder long sleeves with multiple layers of chiffon falling in waves from the A-line- it was gorgeous, it really was, but it just wasn't her style; poufy chiffon and lace sleeves weren't her in any way, at least not _this Jo_. She studied the skirt, before going to her nightstand and pulling out a small sewing kit. She returned to the mirror, studying the dress silently. A moment passed, before she removed a small pair of scissors before putting them back and turning her attention to a seam ripper. Was she _really_ going to do this? _Decimate_ her wedding dress for her vow renewal?

She had counted multiple layers of beautiful, silky chiffon. After a moment, she removed the ripper from the sewing kit and then slipped out of the dress, taking a seat on the bed in her underwear and gathering the dress into her lap. She fingered the silky material; it was really very beautiful and could be used for something else, just not for her wedding dress.

 _I guess it_ is _your wedding dress; you've never been married before. So for Zane, it's a vow renewal, but for you_ _it's a wedding- as long as you get to officially be married to Zane in the end, that's all that matters._ Taking a deep breath _,_ she gathered the top layer of chiffon and began to rip along the seams.

Layer upon layer of beautiful, silky chiffon gently tumbled to the floor. Eventually, she set the ripper aside and held up the dress. Something was still off and then she realized what it was- the long lace sleeves. It took a few minutes before she was able to figure out what to do and soon the excess lace had joined the chiffon on the floor. Once done she set the dress aside and turned to the pieces of material on the floor at her feet.

By the time she finished what she was working on, tried the dress on, and turned to the mirror, she was happy with the changes she'd made. Yes, much better, and yet... something was missing. She went to the hope chest at the end of their bed, rummaging around for several minutes before pulling out several bolts of ribbon. She removed the dress and returned to her work.

When she finally went downstairs to show Claudia, Tessie, and Ricco- who'd all arrived the day before- and the girls, she'd finished everything she wanted in regards to the dress. Zane had gone to Portland to pick his mother up and wouldn't be back for a couple hours, which would give her enough time to show the others.

"Mama! Let's see!" The girls looked up as Jo slowly came down the stairs. "Mama!"

"is that... your wedding dress?" Tess asked and Jo nodded.

"Yeah, I..." She blushed. "A-line Princess-type skirts and long lace sleeves just... aren't my style."

The old wedding dress, now Jo's vow renewal-wedding dress- depending on who in the family you asked- had gotten a beautiful upgrade. Jo had removed the long lace sleeves, leaving short, off the shoulder lace sleeves instead. Multiple layers of A-line chiffon had been removed, exposing the simple column skirt, with a slight flare at the end. She had taken a beautiful chocolate brown satin ribbon and sewn it around the waist of the dress, tying it in a bow at the back beneath the corseted top, and then trimmed the sweetheart top and sleeves in thin chocolate brown as well, leaving the beautiful rusched bodice beneath.

She looked down, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I... I just did a little rework on it myself. Thank god your _Abuela_ taught me how to sew when I was little."

"You look so pretty, Mama." Anna whispered, reaching out to touch the sleeves hesitantly. Jo tugged her middle daughter into her arms; the twelve-year-old curled into her embrace and Jo held her close. "Brown ribbon to match our dresses?"

"It's a fall... wedding... vow renewal... so I thought why not fall colors?" She paused. "Do you think Zane will like it?"

"Oh don't even worry about that, alternate-timeline wifey! Zanie's not gonna be able to keep his gaze off you on Saturday!" She nodded; they had talked about it and decided on a very small, intimate ceremony in the backyard, with their close family and friends in attendance. The couple had involved their daughters greatly in their plans, wanting them to be a part of what was- as Reverend Harper told them- a reaffirmation of their love and vows, of which the girls were thrilled to take part. Allison, Grace and Jo had taken the girls dress shopping two weeks before for dresses up in Portland; they'd had chosen three pretty chocolate brown halter dresses with burnt orange-colored sashes at the waists, so Jo had chosen the chocolate brown ribbon to trim her dress to match the girls' dresses.

But before she could respond AIDA spoke up. "Zane just pulled into the driveway. Shall I stall him, Jo?"

The Security Director glanced towards the ceiling, before shaking her head and dashing up back up the stairs, tugging Claudia with her to help her out of the dress. "No need, AIDA! Just tell him that I'll be down in a few minutes!" As the bedroom door slammed, the front door swung open and Zane glanced at his brother-and-sister-in-law before glancing at his daughters.

"Mama and Auntie Claud step out-"

"No, we're right here, babe," The two women came back down the stairs; she was dressed in a pair of worn jeans and a soft dark green sweater. She went to him, kissing him quickly before going to her mother-in-law and wrapping her in a hug. "Hi, Mom; it's so good to see you again."


	72. Chapter 72

The last time Tessa Donovan had seen her daughter-in-law, they hadn't parted on good terms; so to be _willingly_ wrapped in Jo's hug startled the older woman, to say the least. She slowly pulled away, meeting the younger woman's gaze with a look of confusion. "Um..." She put an arm's length of space between herself and her daughter-in-law. "Zane told me that you're renewing your vows on Saturday." Her gaze darkened and Jo furrowed a brow.

"Of course we are. I love Zane. Why wouldn't we renew our vows?"

As the rest of the family settled in and fell into conversation and spent time catching up, Jo went into the kitchen to fix coffee; Tessa followed. "Because you've been sleeping-" Jo froze; Zane had explained as much as he dared to his mother on the drive back from Portland, but that didn't mean Tessa didn't fully understand or accept her son's decision. There was a good part of her that would never truly trust her daughter-in-law, no matter what Zane said or what Jo did to show her she'd changed.

"Oh, that." A look crossed the Security Director's face and she bit her lip as she turned to meet her mother-in-law's gaze. "That wasn't me, Mom-"

"It's _Mrs. Donovan_." Tessa cut the younger woman off stepping closer until they were nose to nose in the kitchen. "And yes, _that_. You _handed_ my son divorce papers so you could return to your-" Jo kept quiet; she knew that Tessa needed to get this off her chest and so she let her mother-in-law speak. "- you _say_ you _love_ my son, you have _children_ with him, and _then_ you turn around and decide that he's not good enough for you! You have _no_ conscious, no-"

"No _what_ , Mom?"

The pair turned to find Zane and Claudia standing in the doorway; silence had settled within the house and everyone watched as Tessa turned to her children; Cate hurried to Jo, wrapping her arms around her mother and nuzzling into her as Jo held her close, kissing her head. "Zane-"

"You don't know what's gone on in the last few months, Mom. It's different now."

"Different?" Tessa raised an eyebrow turning to her son. "I don't seem much difference, Zane. You can take a whore out of the brothel, give her some fancy clothes and a nice degree, but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what you do, she will _always_ be a whore."

_"Granna!"_

Stunned silence rang throughout the house as Jo slowly pulled away from Cate, forcing the teenager's hands away when the girl reached for her again before stepping back. She put noticeable distance between herself and her oldest daughter, turning to met the older woman's gaze. Theresa Donovan had honestly, intimidated Jo when she'd first met her. In fact, it had taken them weeks for the pair to actually get to a good place. And by the timeline shift, Tessa Donovan was actively calling Jo her daughter-in-law, but here, in _this_ timeline...

"I think I need some air." She quickly hurried to the door, grabbing her phone and pulling on her light maroon leather jacket.

"Jo-" She looked up as Zane hurried to her, grabbing her arm to stop her. A tiny smile flashed across her face before she shook her head.

"Zane, it's not worth it."

"No, Jojo, she needs to understand-"

"She won't and wouldn't understand anyway, let alone _believe_ it. And I don't blame her. In your mom's eyes, I betrayed you, and she's right, I basically did." Without another word, she slipped past Tessa and went to her husband, kissing him quickly. "I'm gonna go for a ride, so I'm gonna take your bike. I shouldn't be gone long. I love you."

"Jo-" But before he could finish, she was gone.

She pulled up in front of Cafe Diem an hour and a half later, climbing off the bike and ducking into the café. With a wave to Allison and Grace, she ordered her usual and then quickly joined them. "Sorry I'm late; Zane got back with Mom in tow-"

"Oh God, the dreaded meeting the Mother-in-law. How'd that go?" Grace asked, as Jo set her drink down and sat back. Allison rolled her eyes.

"I _know_ Tessa, I loved Tessa- I still love Tessa- or, at least I _thought_ I knew her, but..." She shook her head. "She doesn't trust me. She all but jumped me the moment she stepped in the house. Zane tried to explain, but she didn't want to hear it. Basically called me a whore, so I left. I needed air; took Zane's bike and went for a ride. I just-" She sighed, sitting back.

"Has he told her?" Jo shook her head. "Is he going to?" The Security Director shrugged. "It might be a good idea if he did." She reached over to take Jo's hand. "It might be a good idea if you _both_ told her- together." She squeezed gently. "This isn't just about Zane, this is about you, too, Jo."

"She wouldn't take it well, let alone believe it- 'so, Tessa, guess what? The woman who you _think_ is the one who cheated on your son is actually an alternate version from an alternate timeline,' yeah, that would go over _really well_ , Al."

"I'm sorry, _what_?" Jo froze and slowly, all three turned to find Joshua standing not far away, coffee cup in hand, look of surprise on his face. A moment passed before Jo stood, getting up and fleeing the café; quickly, Allison and Grace hurried after her, Joshua following slowly behind. The trio caught up to her just as she was climbing onto Zane's bike. "Jo, wait!" Thinking quickly, Joshua stepped behind it, directly in the way if she backed up. A moment passed before she sighed and turned the bike off, removing the helmet. Once he was certain she'd turned off the bike, he moved towards her. "Jo, what's going on?"

"I-" She stopped, taking a deep breath, and he saw the tears swimming in her eyes. "If I tell you, I have to tell Tessa, and there are already too many people involved-"

"But Jo, you're _safe._ " Allison cut in, reaching out to take her hand. "General Mansfield promised to protect you, _remember_? And Joshua and Tessa- they're part of your family. It's only right that you tell them."

She shook her head. "I _can't_ face Tessa again-"

Joshua took her hand this time. "We'll face her together, with Zane... besides, I want to meet the woman who raised my half-siblings."


	73. Chapter 73

Surprise didn't even _begin_ to cover the emotions Tessa Donovan was feeling as her son and daughter-in-law told her everything, as she met her ex-husband's second child- a child she hadn't known existed.

Joshua was a little easier to accept than Jo. She knew that Nathaniel had been unfaithful; he'd made no secret that he chased around on her, especially after Zane had been born. Claudia had been both a blessing and a curse; the spunky little girl that Nathaniel had left on her doorstep had wormed her way into Tessa's heart from the moment she'd opened the door, to the point where Claudia called Tessa 'Mom'- and had even been officially adopted by Tessa when the girl was ten. But to find out her husband had had _another_ child-

_Is there going to be another one right around the corner? God only knows what Nathaniel has done in the intervening years, or who he's slept with._

Jo's news was harder to accept- no, _believe_... an alternate _timeline? Seriously?_ Was the woman completely insane? She had to have been, because there was no way any of what she and Zane had told her made any sense-

The young woman in question hadn't moved from where she sat on the last stair leading to the second floor, hands between her knees to stop their shaking, tears slipping silently down her cheeks. The others watched as Tessie Fontana, Jo's sister-in-law, and Claudia took seats on either side of her. Claudia tugged a hand from between her knees and took it while Tessie reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before brushing a couple tears off her cheek; she whispered something softly to the young mother of three, who turned to meet her gaze, before climbing to her feet and disappearing upstairs. The door to the master bedroom slammed shut and everyone winced. "Phina? Phina, wait!" Without another word, Tessie rushed up the stairs after her sister-in-law; the door slammed again.

Zane sighed, rubbing a hand over his face as he met his mother's gaze. _Not again._

"Daddy?" He turned as Ela tugged on his hand. "The wedding isn't off, is it? You're still gonna marry Mama, right?"

Slowly, Zane knelt down to meet his youngest daughter's gaze. "Of course I'm still gonna marry Mama, Elie. I love Mama. Just because Granna has no imagination or willingness to believe the truth doesn't mean we're going to cancel the wedding. It just means we need to keep Mama and Granna apart until the ceremony."

_"Zane Matthew-"_ Tessa stopped at her son's ice blue glare, as he pulled his youngest into his arms. She sighed. "You can't _possibly_ -"

"Believe it? Yeah, Mom, I do."

No one said a word as Zane lit into his mother, making it very clear to Tessa that this was no joke, that he'd accepted it months ago, that this version of his wife viewed their marriage vows the same as he did, which was partially how he _knew_ they weren't the same person. "She didn't! She barely tolerated our girls! She barely tolerated our marriage! The values I hold, she shirked! But Jo- she believes exactly as I do in regards to our marriage! She values our daughters and our partnership and our vows! _That's_ why I'm remarrying her! _That's_ why we're renewing our vows! She is everything the woman I married had been at one time- so what if she's from an alternate timeline? I don't care! She's still Jo! She's still the woman I love! I will always love Jo, as long as I live, as long as she allows me to!"

He shrugged, sighing. "Zane-"

"I _know_ that she chased around on me; I'm well aware of that. I'm _also_ well aware that when Eleanora was born, we looked at her as being what would fix our marriage- something I _swore_ I would never do, because my girls are the most precious things in the world to me. _Eleanora_ is one of the most precious things in the world to me. Yeah, she chased around on me, but she _also_ gave me the three most _beautiful_ little girls in the entire world, Mom. And if I had to thank her for _anything_ \- it would be that. That she made me a father; she gave me the best gift that I didn't even _know I wanted_ , and now I can't imagine my life _without_ my girls- all _four_ of my girls."

Tessa opened her mouth to speak, but Zane stopped her, holding up a hand. "I didn't expect you to accept it all immediately, I simply expected you to understand. This is my life and the lives of my girls, and Jo- so she's from two-thousand-twelve, big deal. If the timeline shift hadn't happened, we would have been married anyway, because technically, two-thousand-twelve isn't even her real timeline- two-thousand-ten is. And in that timeline, I proposed to her. And I caught her off guard. And if she'd said yes, we probably would have gotten here anyway!" He shrugged. "Hell, for all we know, her second time jump could have sent her _back_ to her original timeline- just twelve years into the future! We don't know! We don't know how time travel works! But I'm gonna be damned if I let your opinion of the original woman I married mar the one I'm marrying now- because they're the same person, they just have slightly different pasts! It doesn't mean I don't love Jo any less than I loved her! If anything I love Jo more-"

"She wasn't your original." Everyone turned as Jo came back downstairs, Tess's arm tight around her waist; she sniffled softly, meeting Allison's gaze across the room, for she'd asked Allison, Carter, Grace and Henry to come back to the house with her. Zane turned to her.

"Jojo, what- what are you talking about?"

Taking a shaky breath, she met his gaze, fresh tears trailing down her cheeks. " _Her_ , Zane. She wasn't your original. She was like me, from another timeline. In fact," She swallowed thickly. "In my _Alternate_ timeline- _she_ was the original... when the timeline shift happened and Doctor Grant came back with us, _I_ took her place. And she... she took the place of your original... _Jo_." She swallowed thickly. "None of us are where we actually belong. No version of _me_ , anyway."

"Jojo, you can't be-"

"She is serious, Zane." Allison spoke up and he turned to her. "I know because, before she left, she told me herself."


	74. Chapter 74

_"Get me out,_   
_Give me in,_   
_I gave you everything I could give._   
_You try to take,_   
_And you try to make, take all everything you can't break_

_If you go so easily,_   
_Go on, get out, when you leave._   
_I will wait, I will want, wait 'til the day you're back again._

_Let me out,_   
_Let me in,_   
_I've giving up, not giving in._   
_'Cause together we are not one, we are nothing._   
_We're holding on, and on._

_Together now, forever then._   
_Go ahead, don't you let me in._   
_But I will wait, I will want._   
_Wait 'til the day you're back again._

_Let me go._   
_You know I'm not one for leaving._   
_Let me go._   
_You know I'm nothing without your love, no._   
_I know I'm nothing without your love_   
_So let me go._   
_(Let me go)_   
_You know I'm not one for leaving._   
_Let me go._   
_You know I'm nothing without your love, no._   
_I know I'm nothing without your love._   
_So please, God, let me go."_

_\- Let Me Go,_

_Haim_

"So where _is_ my wife?"

The question cut through the silence; everyone had listened quietly as Allison had told them about the last conversation she'd had with her- how she'd admitted to being from a timeline where she'd married Evan instead of Zane, and how she'd found herself in this timeline, simply by answering her cell... Jo filled in the blanks as to what had happened during her timeline shift-

To be straight, it was a lot for... everyone to take in.

But especially Zane.

If he were honest with himself, the memories he had of when he'd first met her were not only few and far between, but drastically different to the woman he'd married. He remembered the day he'd met her and if he were honest with himself, he hadn't been impressed-

_"Director of Security? What kind of Security Director has facial piercings? I thought GD was specific in the people they chose-"_

_"They are; she just happens to be the best person for the job. She's former FBI and spent four years with Evan Cross up in Vancouver; she's the COO of his company-"_

_"Great. So we have a tattooed, pierced businesswoman who's never worked for a government town in her life, coming in as our new Security Director. There are a thousand things that could go wrong with this, Henry-"_

_"Zane, I know you don't take well to change, but just hold off on any major demonstrations until you meet her; I promise, once you meet her, you can decide for yourself."_

_"Fine. But I'm not-"_

_"Director Deacon? And you must be Director Donovan- Section Five, right? Hi, I'm Josephina Lupo, but everyone calls me Jo."_

Bubbly and friendly had been the only way he could accurately describe her- so unlike both the woman he'd married and the woman who'd taken her place. From what he'd gathered, she hadn't gone into the military at all- she'd been an agent for the FBI; a psychological profiler, actually, stationed in DC for eight years before going up to Vancouver and helping Cross start his company. By twenty-eight, she'd developed a reputation as the FBI's best agent, ran a multimillion dollar company as the COO, had a substantial nest egg and was one of the smartest women of her age. She was brilliant, and understood 'geek speak' faster than the geeks could speak it. The facial piercings only served to catch everyone off guard and completely clashed with her bubbly personality. The woman he remembered meeting that day in the rotunda had been the opposite of everything his Jo was- at least in public. Not to mention exceptionally younger than either of the versions after her.

And she, like the woman after her and the woman who sat before him, had captured his attention from the moment they shook hands; though he couldn't remember if there'd been a spark with her like there had been with the versions after her.

Had she been the one he fell in love with, or had that been the now Alternate version of her? When exactly had the switch happened- the first one? It had obviously happened before two-thousand-eight, because Cate had been born in October of oh-eight... but Jo had said that she was originally from two-thousand-ten, and so was the Alternate, so that meant-

 _Our timeline is two years behind theirs- or, at the time it was- because Catie was born in eight, and Annie in ten... meaning when the switch happened, she was sent backwards, unlike Jo, who was sent forwards-_ He shook his head; all this alternate-original timeline talk was giving him a headache and making his world spin.

"So... which one's Mama?" Cate asked, anxiety creeping into her voice as she turned to Jo. The Security Director shook her head.

"It's not me, sweetie, and it wasn't the original. The Alternate- the original in my Alternate timeline- was your mother."

"The one who... who hurt Daddy by-" Jo nodded, reaching up to brush at the tears on her cheeks.

 _"Where is she?"_ Zane cut in, glancing between Jo and Allison. _"Where did she end up? How do we find her? How do we get her back?"_

Allison watched Jo wince at the harshness of his words before she stood from the stool she'd been sitting on at the island; the good doctor turned back to Zane, attempting to calm him down, because she knew this was the last thing they needed. Meanwhile, without a word, Jo slipped both her wedding ring and engagement ring off her hand, setting them on the island before slinking off towards the stairs. She held a finger to her lips as she passed by the girls, who watched her with tears in their eyes as she pulled on her jacket, grabbed her keys and slipped towards the door.

She quietly tugged the door open and moved to step onto the porch when the door swung shut and locked, alerting everyone to what was going on. The force field came down around her and she slammed her palm against it as Zane hurried to her. "AIDA, let me go... _please_..."

_"I can't, Jo. Your leaving would ruin the wedding-"_

"There isn't going to be a wedding, or a vow renewal or anything of the sort, AIDA! Not anymore, not now that Zane knows the truth... he's going to go looking for her, once he figures out how I got here and how to send me back, and he has every right to, because she's the one he's supposed to be with, not me. Not this version."

_"Jo, your leaving would affect-"_

" _No one, AIDA!_ No one. Everyone will be better off once I've left-"

 _"That's not true! How could you think that, Mama? We love you!"_ Cate cried, and Jo slowly turned to meet her oldest daughter's tear-filled blue gaze. In that moment, she saw herself staring back at her- a mirror image of the broken child she'd grown into after her mother died, and it tore at her heart. Was she really going to do as her mother had done and leave her child- her children- behind? A shaky breath escaped her throat, before she choked on the five words she never thought she'd ever hear herself say since coming to this timeline.

"I'm not your mother, Catie." She watched pain and betrayal cross her oldest daughter's face, and swallowed thickly. "I didn't give birth to you, to any of you... I'm just... a clone of the woman who did. And the woman who was supposed to be your mother... she never got that chance." Her voice shook slightly as she lifted her head. "I'm not and I never could be. I have no right to you, to any of you. I came into this timeline and essentially _stole_ your mother's life, and she stole the original Jo's." She licked her lips nervously, a self-deprecating laugh escaping her. "I should have forced General Mansfield to arrest me that day- could have saved everyone the heartache and pain I've caused since I came into this timeline."

_"No! You're lying! You are her! You are!"_

_"Catie-"_ Jo's voice broke as Tessie pulled her niece into her arms, holding her close, trying to calm the teenager down as Allison and Grace both looked after her sisters.

 _"_ How _dare_ you." Slowly, caramel eyes turned to meet Zane's through AIDA's force field. She closed her eyes briefly, bracing herself for the onslaught of accusations and anger she knew was coming. _"How_ dare _you keep this from me!_ What happened to _honesty, Jo_? _Honest_ with me- with _me_ , _damn it! Me!_ _That's what we agreed to after the rage incident at work!"_ He stepped closer, and Jo stumbled over her feet, her back hitting AIDA's shield.

"Zane-"

"Does honesty mean _nothing_ to you? Seriously, _what the hell is wrong with you?"_

Both were completely unaware that AIDA had removed her force shield, as Zane stepped closer to her; Jo stepped back until she hit the door, until he stood over her, blue eyes blazing. _"Look at me, Jo, damn it! Look at me!"_ He reached up, taking her face in his hands, even as she tried to keep her head turned away. _"You lied to me! Is that all you've been doing since you arrived in this timeline? Lying?"_

 _"No! I don't lie!"_ She snapped, meeting his gaze. Zane stepped back.

 _"Well, you certainly don't tell the truth!"_ He shook his head. _"God, how could I have been so stupid? Falling for a woman who does nothing but keep secrets- especially when we promised each other we wouldn't! I should have known better-"_

 _"I didn't even know she wasn't the original, Zane! Not until the hallucination incident!"_ Jo had told him about the hallucinations she and Allison had been having to deal with, but Jo had assumed the version Allison had seen had been the original- at least until Allison had told her the truth. _"I didn't know_ how _to tell you!"_

_"Struggling to tell me would have been infinitely better than hiding it, Jo!"_

_"Stop it, both of you!"_ The pair turned to Cate, who had curled into her aunt, hands tight over her ears. She'd spent her childhood listening to the arguments her parents had gotten into; they had shaped her perception of marriage and love- that a couple couldn't be in love without arguing and fighting, an ideal her therapist told her repeatedly was incorrect, and that a proper relationship- a proper marriage- yes, had arguing, but wasn't _shaped_ by it.

 _"Just shut up!"_ Everyone stared at the teenager, stunned. _"So what if Mama's not the original? You don't fight, and that's_ all _you did with_ her _! You argued and fought and pretended that you didn't when we were around, but we're not_ stupid _, Daddy! We heard the arguments- you can't_ not _hear the arguments in this house! And then Mama came and you were_ happ _y! You were back to what_ I _remember when I was little! And she_ loves _us!_ All _of us! And now you want to send her away for someone that didn't love any of us at all! Or one that doesn't even know we exist!"_ She shook her head. _"It's not_ fair _! Mama loves us- all of us! She_ belongs _here, more than she did! And you want to send her away because she's not 'the original'- she_ is _, Daddy! She's_ everything _she should be! You just don't love her_! _And if you don't love her, then how can you possibly love us?"_

"Caterina-"

But the girl shoved her father's hands away when he reached for her. She shook her head. _"No! You want to send Mama away! I hate you, Daddy! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"_

She dashed up the stairs, slamming the door to her bedroom; a final statement on how far everything had spiraled out of control. Jo had taken that time between Cate's lashing out at Zane and her disappearing upstairs to yank open the front door and slip outside; the rain that had started earlier was now a downpour. It took the scream of a car horn to make the others realize that Jo was no longer in the house.


	75. Chapter 75

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And things start to spiral even more out of control...

_"Jo!"_

She found herself inches away from being hit by Doctor Moriarty's car, the headlights highlighting the stress and pain in her dark eyes. It took a moment before the other woman was able to shut off her car and climb out, rushing to the Security Director as the others rushed outside. The blaring car horn had even brought the Roses and the Harringtons out to make sure everything was all right at the Donovans'. "God, Jo, I'm so sorry! Are you all right?"

The Security Director pulled away from the Speleologist, stumbling back until she landed on her butt in the middle of the road. _"Phina!"_ Tessie Fontana rushed towards her, but Jo scooted away, climbing to her feet as Zane hurried to her. "Phina, _please!_ We can _fix this_! All you and Zane need to do is _talk_ -"

But the younger woman backed away, shaking her head before she turned and took off, dashing into the darkness. _"Jo!"_

_"Phina! Stop! Come back!"_

_"You_ did this." Slowly, everyone turned to see Cate and her sisters standing in the doorway. The teenager's blue gaze had latched onto her father, and after a moment, she rushed to him. _"You ruined everything! You drove Mama away! You've always driven her away! You never wanted her, and you never wanted us! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you-"_

It was like watching Mary throw a tantrum after first arriving at Mistlethwaite in _The Secret Garden_. Cate very rarely lost her temper, but when she did, it was hot and destructive. Where Anna was laidback and relaxed, her temper quick and dangerous like her father's, and Ela's bounced in between, Cate's temper was fiery and deadly- and so very, very clearly her mother's. She lashed out with her tongue, only resorting to the physical when the occasion called for it. She was an exact carbon copy of Jo in every way except her eyes, and grew to be more and more like the petite Security Director with each passing day. Cate, like her mother, ignored her growing beauty and hid from the spotlight, refusing to admit her strengths because she felt she didn't have any.

And she, like Jo, had a tendency to turn vindictive and destructive when she viewed herself slighted or wronged in any major way- and what her father had just done, driving her mother away just days before their wedding- was a wrong Cate would make sure he paid for, and paid for _dearly_.

 _"No! Put me down! Uncle Ricco, put me down!"_ The teenager fought as her beloved uncle grabbed her around the waist, yanking her off her father and the ground. _"I hate you, Daddy! I absolutely hate you! You drove Mama away! You drive everyone away! You never wanted her and you never wanted us! You selfish-"_ It took time, but eventually Ricco was able to get Cate and her sisters back in the house, where Tessie and Claudia worked on trying to calm the teenager down.

Zane turned as Allison took his hand. "Zane-"

But he pulled away, kneeling down to grab the keys Jo had dropped. Without a word, he went to the car; Carter was giving Doctor Moriarty some sort of excuse- something about Jo's two older brothers being unable to make the vow renewal and an argument breaking out about whether they should postpone or go through with it- something that the older woman clearly understood; she knew that ceremonies such as this were often a big deal, and that family was the most important thing to the Donovans, especially Jo. Once the other woman had left- after once more apologizing for nearly hitting Jo, Carter joined Allison. "Zane, where are you going?"

The Section Five Director turned back to them, car door open. "Someone has to go find her, Carter!"

"Zane, it's pouring-"

"Exactly! It's down pouring and she's... I have to find her, Carter! I have to make this right! I can't lose her- not when I just got her back!"

The sheriff hurried towards him. "Let me go, I can find her easily-"

Zane shook his head. "It has to be me, Carter. I made this mess, I have to fix it. Besides, I'm not exactly wanted in the house right now. Just... just go back inside and calm the girls down, _please_. Calm Catie down. She wouldn't listen to me, even if I tried. She hates me right now and I really don't blame her; I hate myself too. It's why I need to _fix_ this. Even if she ends our marriage and walks away, I need to make this right. I _have_ to apologize. Just... just try and calm the girls down, please."

And without another word, he climbed into the car and pulled out of the driveway.

He searched the town first, just to be safe, before going up the Lake Archimedes and then checking the surrounding woods, coming up empty every time. He stopped at the town line, turning the car off and letting out a scream of frustration before leaning his head back with a sigh. _You've royally fucked this whole thing up now, Zane. Good job. Catie's right. You've done nothing but drive the woman you love, the woman who changed your entire world, away, and there's no guarantee she's ever going to come back. What the hell is wrong with you?_ _Have you just gotten so used to, so complacent in being left that you can do nothing but drive the one version of the woman you love away because she stayed? You're so scared she'll_ decide _to leave that you drove her away- you forced her hand, when all she wanted to do was stay, and love you and the girls-_

The girls.

He didn't blame them- any of them- if they never forgave him for what he'd done; he was pretty certain he would never forgive himself, especially if he couldn't apologize to Jo. _You drove her away- you drive everyone away! You never wanted her and you never wanted us!_ He would hear his oldest daughter's biting words in the back of his head for the rest of his life.

 _Oh, Catie, my baby, my beautiful, precious baby girl, that's the furthest thing from the truth. I did nothing but want you, from the moment you were conceived. Each of you. You and your sisters were the one bright spot in the intervening years before Jo showed up._ He took a deep breath, quickly brushing the tears away before starting the car again; there was one last place he had to check, and he hoped dearly that his hunch was correct.


	76. Chapter 76

_Fifty miles outside of Eureka should be far enough away._

She had no idea how she'd managed to find the cabin in the pouring rain; she had a difficult time finding it in the sunlight. Her feet had led her from the town towards the cabin that held so many wonderful memories.

Choking on a sob, she dropped onto the porch steps, wrapping her arms tight around herself. She couldn't bring herself to unlock the front door and go inside; the memories of that Fourth of July weekend no seemed so far away and yet so close- when they were just discovering their happiness, and their unspoken attraction had culminated in a night of passion that had done nothing except cement the sparks that flared whenever they were in the same vicinity.

_Idiot. You should have told him immediately, about the swap; you could have saved everyone this heartache-_

A car door slammed. _"Jo!"_

She looked up to see Zane dash towards her, and scrambled to her feet. That tiny, traitorous part of her heart fluttered as the sight of him, but she quickly squashed it. _Stupid girl. Stop this. He doesn't love you. He loves her- his original, the one who belongs in this timeline. He never loved you._

As soon as he got close enough, she ducked around him, moving back down the path. _"No!"_ She turned back to him. _"No, Zane! The wedding, the vow renewal- it's off!"_

"Jo-"

 _"No! You got to say your piece earlier! It's my turn now!"_ She stopped, choking on a sob. _"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I lied to you, but I didn't know how to tell you, and I was scared! I was scared you'd decide to try to send me back and go looking for her, because she belongs here! I was scared I'd lose the home and family and life I'd built with you and the girls-"_ It was evident now, in the way she spoke, that no matter how much it pained her, the girls were not hers, and she was making it very clear to him that she knew and accepted that. She was letting them go, no matter how painful it was to walk away from the daughters she'd come to love so greatly over the last nine months. "Zane, _I love you."_

They were simple, filled with honesty and heartbreak that crossed three timelines. She had told him twice before how much she loved him, and each time, that love had been ripped away from her; he could see it in her eyes. She'd laid her heart bare, only for it to be shredded and handed back in pieces. And here, she'd so willingly given her heart away, trusting him completely, only for him to turn around and do as he'd done in two timelines before. _God, you selfish bastard. What the fuck is wrong with you?_

"I can't stop loving you- believe me, I've tried, and it's nearly killed me. I watched you walk away in my original timeline and I never got to apologize. I left you before the Astreaus launch without promising to wait- I had no intention of waiting, no intention of returning. And then I end up here, with another version who loves me, but was so _damaged_ by what my counterpart had done- I _tried._ I tried so hard _not_ to love you and I _failed_. I can't stop loving you, no matter how hard I try, but you can _obviously_ stop loving me, so... so this should be a _clear_ indication that _we don't work_. _We don't exist_ , you and I. Not in _this_ ," She looked around, shrugging. "Or _any_ timeline."

"No, Jo-" He hurriedly stepped in front of her, and she sighed. "we've _always_ existed. You. Her. _She._ It doesn't _matter_! It _doesn't matter_ what timeline you come from or what Eureka you were in _before_ this one! You are _still_ her- in every way that _matters_!"

She shook her head, her iron resolve returning; if she had to become the Enforcer to protect what was left of her shattered heart, then so be it. First chance she got, she'd resign and go up to Vancouver, return to Cross Photonics and her work with Evan's Special Projects. Put as much distance between herself, Eureka and Zane Donovan as she possibly could. " _No._ I'm _not._ And we _don't_."

She moved around him, but he grabbed her arm, tugging her back. "Let go of me, Zane-" But before she could protest further, he'd captured her mouth in a deep kiss. She pushed him away, but he held firm, wrapping an arm around her waist and holding her to him. Slowly, her resolve broke, and she wrapped an arm around his neck, giving in. It reminded her of the kiss in the ruins of her house after he'd burned it down in the Alternate timeline. That familiar spark that she had once denied now flared and exploded as their lips touched. He held her close, sliding a hand along her waist until she was flush against him. But all too soon, she pulled back, meeting his gaze, before roughly pushing him away. _"No! Not again! I've given you my heart too many times and it never ends well!"_

She stepped back, putting distance between them, even as he reached for her. "Josephina, I love you!" She shook her head, throwing her hands over her ears as Cate had done earlier, shaking her head and letting out a scream to block out his words.

_"No. No! You don't! I won't listen! I won't! It's nothing but sweet words and honeyed lies! You never loved me- it was never me, it was always her- them- whichever one was before me! Always! No version of you has ever loved me, ever seen me as nothing more than a hookup-"_

_"Damn it, Jo! Yes, I do!"_ He grabbed her hands, yanking them away from her ears and taking her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him. "Jo, _look at me! Look at me!"_ Her caramel eyes met his, swimming in tears. "I don't _care_ where you come from- what _timeline_ , what _year_ , what _century_ \- you could be from the turn of the last century and I would _still love you because you're you_! You're amazing and wonderful and everything I don't deserve!"

She tried to shove him away but he pulled her into his arms, locking her in place. "Zane-"

" _So what if you don't remember giving birth to our girls or the years in between? That's okay!_ Jo, what if _this_ is your Eureka? What if _this_ is your _original Eureka_? The one you left when you went back to nineteen-forty-seven? What if _all_ you did when you passed through that anomaly was go forward in time instead of backwards? What if your Alternate timeline was _never_ your Alternate but your _original_? What if, when the five of you came back and you brought Doctor Grant, that _one little change_ tweaked your original timeline _just enough_ that you didn't _remember_ the changes you'd made?"

He held on tighter as she fought against him, shaking her head violently. _"Yes!_ What if your leaving and coming through that wormhole or anomaly or _whatever_ it was _tweaked_ your _'Alternate' timeline_ \- the one that was _really_ your original? Or what if it tweaked it _just enough_ that your 'Alternate' timeline _merged_ with your 'original' timeline and _rewrote_ itself _again_ to keep the universe from folding in on itself- and by doing so, it sent you forwards to straighten it out?"

_"No, Zane! That's not true, it's not!"_

He grabbed her head, forcing her to look at him. " _You said it yourself, Jo!_ If you hadn't frozen, we'd have been married with children! Maybe it did happen! Maybe it did!" She choked on a sob. "Jo, _what if it did_? What if when they merged and it rewrote itself, it took that part of your memory with it to keep everything from _collapsing_? What if wiping your memory of our daughters' births and our marriage was the _only way_ it could stop everything from _unraveling_? What if _all_ that happened when you tweaked the timeline, was that to keep everything stable, it rewrote everything you knew? What if it sent you twelve years into the future to _protect_ the universe and when that happened, you simply rewrote your life?"

She tried to pull way. _"Zane, no-"_

" _We would have been married and had the girls anyway, you said it yourself!_ Maybe _this_ is your Alternate timeline _and_ your Original timeline, and _all they did_ was _merge_ , and the _one constant_ \- in both- is that I l _ove you and you love me_ , and so to find a _balance_ , it took the _proposal_ from your original and the _relationship_ from your alternate and turned it into a _marriage_ \- the next _logical_ step for _any_ relationship- and out of that came our girls and our family? What if _that's_ what happened? What if this- this _'timeline'_ \- is simply your _two timelines merged together_? It _makes sense_! Because _either way,_ I would have married you because I _love_ you. _Jo,_ " He rested his forehead to hers, voice choked with tears. _"I love you. I've always loved you! I will always love you! You're mine, Jo! You've always been mine!"_

She shook her head, choking on a sob as she finally managed to push him away and step back. "Zane, _stop. Just. Stop._ _Please."_

That single word, the pain and heartbreak in her voice, stalled his heart. _"Jojo."_

_"That wouldn't account for her behavior-"_

"Maybe not, but it doesn't matter. _Jo_ ," He reached for her, trying to tug her close but she held firm. "if our lives were rewritten-" She shook her head. "Jo, if it rewrote _your_ life, then it rewrote _mine_ too, because I'm tied to you. I belong to you and you belong to me. If our lives were rewritten and your memory wiped clean because of the first time jump back to nineteen-forty-seven, then that would _account_ for why you _don't remember_ giving birth to our daughters. All it takes is a moment to wipe everything clean!"

 _"You didn't remember! In my Alternate timeline- you had no memory of us, how was I supposed to explain that? What was I supposed to say?_ And then I end up here, and _we're married and we have daughters and it was everything I wanted... everything I was never going to have because I lost you when I went back to nineteen-forty-seven-"_

He gathered her into his arms. "No, Jo, you didn't lose me! You never lost me! I was here, all along! I was here! I was waiting for you to come back to me! I would never leave you. Jo, I love you! It may have merged the two timelines and rewrote our lives to straighten it out, but the one thing it didn't rewrite was my love for you! No rewritten timeline could ever take that away! Never!" He reached up to caress her cheek. "I love you, Jo. Don't you understand that? Original. Alternate. Merged- it doesn't matter! I love you in all of them, and I always will."

She choked out a sob, pressing her cheek into his hand as he gathered her to his chest, pressing a kiss to her temple. "There never has been, and never will be, another Jo besides you. You're the best thing to happen to me, Jojo."

"You mean _she_ was." She choked out, and he shook his head, pressing another kiss to her head.

"No. I mean you. You ending up here- whether it was the time jump or the timelines merging and our lives being rewritten, it doesn't matter- was the best thing to happen me and our girls. Regardless of what it was, you taught us all to love again. She didn't love, not us anyway. She was _a_ Jo, but not _my_ Jo."

_"Zane... Stop..."_

"You?" He paused, swallowing the tears that clogged his throat. "You're _my_ Jo. You've always been _my_ Jo. Whether our timelines were merged and rewritten or not, it doesn't matter. Not anymore. It never mattered, come to think of it. All that matters- all that's _ever_ mattered- is _you_. _You_ , and _me,_ and _our daughters_." He slowly pulled away; the rain continued to fall, drenching them both to the bone and sending chills racing up their spines. Gently, he reached up to brush the tears away with his thumb. "I love you, Jo. You're the queen of my heart and you always have been. No matter the _timeline_ , no matter the _year_ , no matter the _circumstances_. You hold my heart and I hold yours. _I love you_ ; I will _never_ stop loving you. Because _you're mine and I'm yours_."

This time when he kissed her, she didn't try to pull away.


	77. Chapter 77

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Word of warning, this is explicit...

_"My fire was burning out_   
_My mind was filled with doubt_   
_I long to feel alive_   
_Don't know if I'll survive (eh eh)_

_But my hope was running low_   
_You appeared out of nowhere_   
_Yeah it was more than an illusion_   
_More that I can ever know_

_Baby it's magic the way you came around (eh eh)_   
_You caught me before I hit the ground_   
_Yeah something was missing in my house of cards_   
_And all that I needed was the Queen of my heart_   
_It's magic the way you came around (eh eh)"_

_\- House of Cards,_

_Tyler Shaw_

Her back hit the wall, but she didn't have the strength to push him away.

She had resisted for so long, tried desperately to ignore the pull of her heart towards his, even as they were falling more and more in love with each day. Every moment they spent together, every family dinner, every drive to work, every morning waking in his arms, every quiet moment or loud experience drove Cupid's arrows further and further into her heart, until she couldn't stop herself.

She had fallen madly, completely, _absolutely_ in love with Zane.

Sure, she'd always loved Zane, but this-

 _This_ was a love that she didn't fully understand, didn't question, despite the fact that it scared the hell out of her.

Those blue eyes, that quick smile, the feel of his hands on her, the taste of his kiss... they played on her deepest desires and uncovered her deepest weaknesses. They turned her into a schoolgirl dealing with her first crush- giggly, excited, completely and totally in love- something a grown woman shouldn't be. They set the butterflies in her stomach into overdrive, and while she loved all God's creatures and the metaphors they stood for, she had tried so, _so_ hard to kill the butterflies. Even when they'd been planning this wedding or vow renewal or whatever it was, she'd been trying so hard not to fall back in love with Zane.

She'd failed.

She would always fail when it came to Zane, because he was her weakness. He was the one thing she couldn't resist, nor did she want to, if she were honest.

At some point, the door to the cabin had become unlocked and they'd ended up inside, out of the rain. A chill settled in, and they slowly began to strip each other of their drenched clothing. She ended up sitting on the edge of the kitchen table in only her lingerie as they made their way back to the downstairs bedroom. He pulled away, reaching up to brush a strand of wet hair from her eyes before capturing her mouth again.

When they next broke apart, she was being pressed against the closed bedroom door as he worked on kissing the chill from her skin. Slowly, the straps of her bra were tugged off her shoulders, and she captured his mouth with hers again, tangling her fingers tightly in his hair. She could feel his erection, hard and thick, against her, and whimpered softly, but he shook his head, meeting her gaze. _No, we're taking this slow. We're making up for lost time, for all the moments of love we missed in the last few weeks._

As they moved to the bed, he tenderly peeled the bra off her, unhooking it and dropping it by the bed. They peeled off the last of their clothing slowly, taking their time with each other, reacquainting themselves and rediscovering each other. He tangled his fingers in her hair, as their bodies slowly slid together; the smell of rain settled over them as it continued to beat the windows, asking for entry.

They spent hours making love, taking their time, drinking deeply from each other as hands trailed and nails bit. He tugged her hips closer, pushing deeper and deeper, until she pushed him away and shifted to her knees. Jo had always enjoyed sex- she would never deny it; she was red-blooded as any other female on the planet- but her Catholic upbringing had placed so much emphasis on intercourse for _procreation_ and so little on intercourse for _recreation_ that when Zane had made that crack all those years ago about _'a little adult recreation'_ , she'd been all to eager to partake.

And she'd been pleasantly surprised to discover that _this_ Zane- just like the original, just like the Alternate- enjoyed _'a little adult recreation'_ as much as she did. After all, _what was the point of sharing a bed if you couldn't have fun and focus on pleasure, instead of always having to focus on procreating?_ \- as Zane had often told her. She grabbed onto the smooth wood of the headboard, accepting his kiss as he pushed into her from behind. The thing she always loved about this position was the sensation- not that Zane couldn't; the man was hung like a horse and _God_ , she was a lucky woman- but it made everything so much more... _pleasurable_.

He slid a hand down her hip, dipping between her thighs and brushing against the curls before find her clitoris. Gently, he rolled the bundle of nerves between his fingers as he continued to push into her, going deeper and deeper, sending her closer and closer to the edge. She broke the kiss, throwing her head back, allowing him to trail kisses over her skin; he left little nips and bites on occasion, bruising her soft olive skin and making sure everyone in town would remember that no matter what road blocks they came across, no matter what issues got in their way, she belonged to him and no one else. The scratches on his back did the same, telling every woman that he was taken, that he had a family, a wife, and that no matter if he looked, no other woman was lay with him but her.

_"God, Zane-"_

He had to remind himself to calm down, to take it slow, but her breathy gasp stole the last of willpower. He had never been able to truly control himself when it came to Jo, and he never would. Original timeline, alternate timeline, merged, it didn't matter. She was his kryptonite- that slow smile and those caramel eyes, the way the tip of her tongue would poke out of the side of her mouth when she was really concentrating on something, how she would lift her chin and wrinkle her nose in attempt to intimidate him as she pulled herself to her full five feet five and three-quarter inches, something that never worked, but was absolutely adorable- and always would be.

Yes, he loved his daughters, but if he were honest, they were nothing but extensions of her with dashes of him thrown in. They would grow into carbon copies of her, not him, develop her mannerisms, her inflections, turn heads as she did. They had her almond-shaped eyes, even if the color was his, and her nose, and her lips. They were all heart-shaped like she was, small and lithe and breathtaking like she was. Cate had turned more than a few heads on her birthday, and Zane had felt the deep desire to keep his baby girl under lock and key, for she was too young to already be fielding attention from boys. And Jo had merely laughed it off, oblivious to the attention she herself was getting in her own dress. The day Cate went on her first date was the day Carter would have to lock Zane up for murder. And God help the man who asked for her hand-

It didn't matter the timeline, the version, his girls would take after Jo, both in looks and personality. Somehow, Zane had been given the three most beautiful girls in the world; and though it possibly hadn't been her, though she possibly didn't remember- because the possibility of their lives being rewritten was, while it made his head hurt, it was looking so much more plausible to him than the shifting timelines, but that could be because it seemed to be the simplest of all the theories they'd looked a, and at the moment, he was currently focused on _other things_ \- they had still come from her; she had brought them each into the world.

 _"Oh, Zane, I... I'm almost-"_ He kissed her deeply, pressing the nail of his thumb gently against her clit as he continued to push into her. _"Zane!"_

She exploded around him, tightening around him with a scream as her orgasm took over; minutes later, he followed. _"Josephina!"_

As they collapsed among the blankets, still connected, still shaking from the force of orgasm, he pulled her close, kissing her shoulder. She sighed, meeting his gaze. "Zane-"

He reached up, resting a finger to her lips. "Don't. Don't you dare deny this. Alternate, Original, or merged, rewritten or not, it doesn't matter. That spark? _This,_ " He brushed his thumb against her cheek and she felt a slight shock race up her spine as a soft purr escaped her throat. "this spark has always been here. It will _always_ be here. A spark is all you need," He pressed his forehead to hers. "a spark is all _we've_ ever needed."


	78. Chapter 78

The weather was warm; Founder's Day had come to Eureka.

With the old cars and costumes and technology, people milled about enjoying the weather and the food and games. The girls dashed ahead with their friends, promising not to go too far, as he and Jo wandered among the townspeople. Her grandmother's old navy blue auxiliary uniform hugged her curves and highlighted her skin. Not one for dressing up, Zane had mainly agreed because Henry had asked all the GD directors to do so; she turned to him, gently fixing the lapels on his Army uniform.

 _"You look good in my_ Abuelo's _old Army uniform; it suits you,"_ He rolled his eyes lightly as she laughed, sliding her hands along his stomach as she tugged him close. _"You cut quite the figure in that uniform, Doctor Donovan."_

He rolled his eyes. _"I've never been one for authoritarian figures-"_

_"I know, babe, you've always had a problem with authority."_

He chuckled softly, meeting her gaze. _"You don't look so bad yourself, Director_ _._ _"_ He slid his arms around her hips, pulling her close. The kiss was soft and gentle, and he nuzzled her cheek when they broke apart. _"I love you, Jo."_

_"I-"_

_"Mama!"_ The pair broke apart as Ela came rushing back with Anna and Cate in tow. _"Uncle Henry said he'd take us for a ride in the car! Can we, Mama, Daddy, please? Please?"_ They shared a glance.

_"All right, go ahead, but one of us has to go with you; not because we don't trust Uncle Henry, but because someone has to keep you three in check-"_

Ela didn't even let him finish; she grabbed Jo's hand and tugged. _"Thank you, Daddy! Come on, Mama! Come on!"_

Jo's laughter made his heart skip a beat and she turned back to him. _"We'll be back soon, babe!"_ He watched the girls tug her away before letting his attention wander; so lost in thought, he didn't realize his phone was ringing until he pulled it out of his pocket-

_"Hello? Jo-"_

When he looked up next, he found himself not in the middle of Main Street, but in the rotunda of GD. And yet, something felt off; it was as though the space around him was pixelated, as though he had stepped into a virtual reality video game version of Eureka. He was no longer in her grandfather's old uniform; instead, he wore a tight t-shirt and a pair of jeans with a button down over it and a hoodie over that. Just from running his fingers through it, he could tell his hair was a mess and he hadn't shaved in weeks- something unusual for him. He got no response when he tried calling Jo, which immediately set off alarm bells in his head. However, the sound of footsteps caused him to turn, and all he caught sight of was a familiar ponytail as they rounded the corner. _"Jo! Hey! Wait!"_

But when he rounded the same corner, he found himself alone, though he could still hear the footsteps; the familiar click of heels on marble floors. He tried his best to follow them. _"Jo? Come on, Josephina, this isn't funny! Enough hide and seek-"_ Every step he took seemed to cause the building to dematerialize, as he searched the floors for her, finding no one but himself in the building. A tan deputy's uniform flashed out of the corner of his eye, but when he turned it was gone and the click of heels were back. And then he rounded the corner to her office-

The doors slid open and he cautiously came down the steps; the chair was turned to face the back and he breathed a sigh of relief; she only ever turned her back to the office when she didn't want to be disturbed. _"Thank God! I was half afraid-"_ But when he turned the chair around, he didn't recognize the woman sitting in it.

Her long black hair was chopped short, falling to her shoulders in layered waves, and it was lightened to a soft chocolate brown; she wore a pair of black jeans, a baggy white t-shirt and an over-sized zip hoodie with a pair of worn sneakers; she dressed similar to Claudia- not at all the professional beauty he was used to seeing come down the stairs every morning. Her caramel eyes slowly rose to meet his, and he saw the diamond stud in her nose, the septum piercing, and her shark bites. A tattoo peaked out above the collar of her t-shirt.

His brow furrowed and he cocked his head; though it was clearly Jo, he didn't recognize her. She wasn't the woman he'd had three girls with, slept beside for fourteen years, nor the woman he had made love to just hours earlier, who had come into this Eureka through a timeline shift and brought him and his girls back to life.

_"Don't you remember me, Zane?"_

Zane opened his mouth to speak, wracking his brain frantically. _"So we have a tattooed, pierced businesswoman who's never worked for a government town in her life, coming in as our new Security Director."_ His own words came rushing back to him, as his gaze roved over her, and he paled.

 _"Recognize me now?"_ She sighed, shaking her head gently. _"I never got to know the real you, and you never got to know the real me. And believe me, I was interested. Exceedingly interested. The gorgeous Section Five Director with the sky blue eyes and that melting smile? What woman wouldn't be?"_ She shrugged. _"I don't remember what happened; I woke up late, answered my phone, and next thing I know, I'm laying on the embankment by the river."_ She shook her head. _"No memory except for your eyes."_ She sat back, slouching in the chair; the edge of her t-shirt rode up slightly, exposing a thin strip of stomach and the flash of another tattoo, this one good sized and purple in color.

He suddenly realized that while he liked tattoos on a woman, there were very few places he could _tolerate_ a tattoo on a woman; Claudia had the Iron Man's symbol on her shoulder, she'd gotten it for Zane, because she'd always equated him with Tony Stark- brilliant, innovative, protective. And he knew Jo had a couple small tattoos for her family- all small enough and in places that could be hidden- but the hips weren't one of them. There was something about a woman's hips being painted in permanent ink that turned him off, especially regarding the size of the piece. _Could we have really gotten along? Or would we have been too different?_

She smiled warily at him, the bubbliness of her personality seeping through, and Zane began to understand that he didn't care for the perky Glinda-the-Good-Witch type of personality. It was too off putting, it seemed too fake. Jo's... her personality was exactly right, in every way. But this one-

_"When I first went missing why didn't you come looking for me?"_

Zane furrowed a brow. _"I-"_

She shrugged, uncrossing her legs and sitting up. _"No matter. We weren't involved that heavily yet, I don't blame you if you didn't."_ A look crossed her face, but she quickly cast it aside, bright smile returning. _"Conner told Evan once that the creatures are the loose threads- you pull the wrong one and history unravels, so you have to put everything back where you found it."_ She studied him, suddenly silent. _"Consider that in this situation also, Zane."_

 _"I don't understand-"_ She stood reaching, into her pocket and pulling something out, which she placed in his hand and closed his fingers around before moving past him; he grabbed her arm only for his hand to go through her. _"Jo-"_

 _"It's not a creature that's the loose thread, Zane, it's me."_ He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped.

_"I don't understand-"_

_"You don't have to understand right away, but eventually you will."_ And then, she moved past him and left the office. Zane hurried after her, making it to the doorway just as she disappeared.

 _"Jo?"_ He dashed down the hallway, searching for her. _"Jo!"_

_"Zane?"_

He whipped around, to find her standing before him, long black hair down around her shoulders, dressed in a pair of worn jeans and a blouse, a sweater hanging loosely off her frame. _"Jo!"_ He hurried to wrap her in a hug, only to go through her and turn back.

 _"I'm sorry, but I should have never gotten involved with you. My life is with Evan, but by the time I realized-"_ She stopped, biting her lip. _"We already had Cate. I never meant to hurt you. It was never you I wanted."_ She backed up. _"I'm sorry, Zane."_ Then, without another word, she turned and dashed off; he chased after her.

_"No! Jo, wait!"_

The shifting disoriented him and he stopped, giving the area around him to stop, and he was startled to find himself standing in Carter's office downtown. He recognized the woman leaning against the deputy's desk, and hurried to her. _"How could I be so stupid? Freezing. Here he is, giving me his heart-"_

 _"Jo?"_ She looked up, choking on a soft gasp, and he found himself looking at a much younger version of the woman he was in love with; she wore a tan deputy shirt over a black blouse and a pair of black slacks, and held a small velvet box he recognized.

_"I meant to say yes, Zane. You know how I hate surprises! You caught me off guard-"_

_"Jo, I... I'm sorry-"_

She stood, backing away from him, tugging the tan shirt from her body and tossing it aside, the black blouse she'd worn underneath it untucked. _"How stupid could I possibly be, thinking you would want to be with me? We don't exist, not in this or any timeline."_ She glanced at the box before shutting it. _"So here,"_ She threw it at him, and he caught it, surprised he could touch the box but not her. _"take it back. I don't want it."_

He slowly opened the box, unaware that she had disappeared. _Why is it empty? I don't-_

_"Zane? Don't tell me you're getting cold feet about this."_

He looked up, finding a familiar woman making her way towards him; she wore a simple, white halter dress that hugged her curves and fell to her knees in an A-line skirt, her hair pulled back in a cascade of black curls, a single red rose in her grasp. She was beautiful, and he felt his heart stall for the briefest of moments before he reached for her, stumbling over his own feet-

And went right through her, ending up on the ground, the wind knocked out of him. She turned to look at him as he sat up. _"I know I'm not showing yet and that this wasn't planned and it's a shock, but... Cate was the same way. Any child we have will be loved, you told me that."_ He watched as she rested a hand against her abdomen. _"Zane, say something."_

He opened his mouth to speak, but her voice cut him off. _"I'm the loose thread, Zane."_ He turned to find... her, the original one that belonged to this timeline, kneeling beside him. He watched as she stood, joining the other versions of her that had gathered around the woman in the white dress.

 _"Put me back where you found me."_ The Alternate- or who he assumed was the Alternate- spoke up.

 _"I'm sorry."_ Drops of blood began to pain the ground at her feet, and he watched as the stain soon spread over the skirt of her white dress and she met his gaze. _"Or everything unravels."_ Then, without another word, she reached up, slicing a blade across her throat; the rose fell to the floor, joining the blood pouring from her womb as she crumpled to the ground.

_"No! Jo! Jo, please!"_

"Zane? _Zane, wake up!_ Honey, wake up!"

He bolted upright; it took several minutes for him to remember their previous activities, what had led them to the cabin, and everything that had happened after. He could feel the cold sweat making its way down his back and the rapid beating of his heart as he turned to find Jo sitting up in bed beside him, sheet held to her bare skin, worry written clear on her face. "Zane-"

Breathing a sigh of relief, he threw his arms around her, burying his face in her hair and kissing every inch of skin he could, pulling her flush against his body to remind himself that she was there and real and he could touch her. _"Jo-"_

"Hey, hey, what's wrong? Talk to-" The kiss he stole was deep and searching as he wrapped his arms tight around her, shifting her onto her back among the pillows. "Calm down-"

"Please, Jo, I can't lose you-"

The look in his eyes was enough to send her heart leaping into her throat. "Oh, Zane, baby-" She pushed herself up on her elbows, capturing his mouth with hers in a kiss that only deepened as minutes ticked by. She nudged her nose against his as she spoke, meeting his gaze. "It was only a nightmare-"

He shook his head, burying his face in her chest. _"I lost you. I lost you and our baby-"_

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Baby? What... Zane, what are you-"

But his choked sobs caused her pause. _"I'm sorry for everything I've ever done to hurt you... I love you, so, so much... Please, Jo, please, don't ever leave me. Please, I need you, I love you."_

She held him close, kissing his hair, exceedingly worried about him. "I love you, Zane. I'm not going anywhere, I promise."


	79. Chapter 79

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Again, not a crossover... and there's a very specific reason why Toby is brought in, and what it reveals about Jo...

She awoke the next morning to stormy skies and a chill in the air. Carefully, she slipped out of bed, padding softly to the bathroom. The water was warm as it raced down her skin, and she sighed, reaching up to rest her hands against the wall, her forehead soon pressing against the cold tile. _He's just going to leave you; walk away and go in search of her, the one he really belongs with._

A moment passed before she straightened and finished her shower, shutting off the water and grabbing a towel. She studied herself in the mirror, the marks upon her skin were deep and dark; he'd made it very clear that she was his. _If I have enough ice, I should be able to get them to fade enough before the wedding-_

A soft gasp escaped her throat, and she pressed her hands hard against the sink.

_The wedding, the vow renewal._

Taking a deep breath, she slipped back into the bedroom and gathered her clothing, changing in the bathroom before slipping quietly out of the cabin. _Best to leave now; let them all suspect something happened, or that he didn't catch you._ She knew the area; Timothy Lake sat directly between Eureka and Portland- Eureka to the South and Portland to the North. If she kept walking north, eventually, she'd reach Portland.

An hour and a half into her walk, a car pulled up beside her. She turned towards the driver, her hackles instantly raising. The window rolled down and a familiar voice reached her ears. "Sephi Lupo?"

Only one person called her Sephi, and she was the one who built the devices they used to track anomalies. She leaned down, smile tugging at her lips as she laid eyes on the woman with the skeleton earrings.

"Toby, you bisexual babe, what are you doing on the outskirts of Portland?"

"Could ask you the same thing, Sephi." The woman unlocked the door and pushed it open. "Get in before you drown, you government rat."

Once inside, Toby reached into the back and grabbed a throw blanket, handing it to her friend before starting the car again. Toby Nance had become one of Jo's closest and dearest friends when she was up in Vancouver; she had helped Jo rediscover her passions again. In her darkest of moments, Toby had been there for her, in every way that mattered, even more than Evan, Mack and Ange had. She owed so much to Toby- to all of them, really- that she could never repay her. "So, what's a former government profiler and FBI badass who works for a secret government town that isn't actually a secret among the upper-ups doing walking on the main roads to Portland in a building rainstorm?"

She furrowed a brow, stopping drying her hair. _Government profiler? FBI? I've never-_ "What's a techie anomaly tracker with an eye for both the finer, fairer sex and the more masculine idiotic sex and an obsession with crystals and skeletons doing in Oregon, on her way to Portland?"

Toby rolled her eyes. "Touché."

"Answer the question, Tobes."

"I asked you first, Sephi."

"Fair point." Jo returned to drying her hair. "It's... complicated." Toby raised an eyebrow. "You know... how I got married... fourteen years ago?"

"Mhmm."

"Well-"

"Trouble in paradise?"

"Paradise turned into Pompeii a la _Vesuvius_ around the time my last daughter was born, courtesy of _Evan_."

The other woman squeaked, glancing at her. "Yeah, I know. We all know. For the record, Sephi, what you and Ev did to your husband was massively fucked up." Jo nodded.

"I know, Tobes."

"But, _also_ for the record, to be fair, what Ange did to you and Evan before Eureka came into the picture was just as fucked up, if not more." A brow furrowed and Toby sighed. "Right, I forgot. You and Evan got together a couple years after Brooke died... and you were pretty happy together, and then... then right around the time you left for Eureka, Ange made her move on Evan. Which is when you decided to become the 'silent partner,' remember? Told me that this move to Eureka was a new beginning, a fresh start for you, away from both Evan and Ange? Remember?"

Slowly, Jo nodded. "Right. I... I forgot." _So Zane wasn't the only one who'd been cheated on; the original, the one born to this timeline had been cheated on, too. But did the Alternate know that? Probably not, if she'd been_ married _to Evan in the Alternate timeline-_

"So we're in Portland for a tech convention, since you asked. And I have family down in Salem, remember?" Jo nodded. "And I know you probably don't want to see them, but... would you be willing to come back to the hotel with me? Say hello, at least see Mack, and then I can take you back to Eureka?"

She should say no; return to Eureka and find Zane; make amends and go through with the ceremony this Saturday... but a part of her didn't want to. A part of her wanted to keep heading north, until she was so far away, she couldn't find Oregon on a map. _He won't miss me. He's probably already started looking for her-_ She turned to her friend. "Sure, Tobes. Sounds great."

By the time they pulled up to the hotel, the rain had increased, and the two women dashed inside, laughing. Toby took her hand, tugging her through the lobby towards the elevator; an older couple glared at their loud laughter, and after a moment, Jo leaned close, whispering in Toby's ear. The other woman nodded before leaning over and kissing the Security Director square on the mouth, to the chagrin of the older couple, who said something snippy and let the two women have the elevator to themselves. "Did you see-"

"The looks on their faces? God, it's been how many years since we've done that?"

"Freak out old white people? Too many!"

They fell silent; Jo leaned back against the far wall, meeting Toby's gaze. A moment passed, before the other woman moved to stand beside her, reaching up to brush a strand of hair away from her eyes. "Sephi, I'm sorry. For everything."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Tobes-"

"Yes I do. If I hadn't come on so strong, I never would have pushed you into Evan's arms. If I'd kept my feelings to myself, or told you slowly instead of all at once, you wouldn't have run. Not just from Ange and Ev, but me. I know it hasn't been easy, living in Eureka and having to hide it, but do you think we could ever get back to where we'd been?"

Jo furrowed a brow, wracking her brain for anything that constituted Toby's apology. "Toby, I-"

The other woman shifted so that her back was against the wall, and she turned her gaze to the poster advertising the entertainment for the month. "I know you'll never truly feel the same way about me as you do about Evan or that husband of yours, but... but I do love you. I'll always love you. You were my Brooke, Sephi. And even if you're not happy with me, knowing that you're happy with whomever you've ended up with is all that matters to me."

"Toby-"

The other woman turned back to her, taking her hand. "I know I wasn't the best girlfriend when we first got together, and I know that you and Evan were a serious thing until Ange, and that Eureka was a fresh start for you, but I did love you, truly. I will always love you, no matter what. Nothing will ever change that, no matter who you marry, or how many babies you have. I will always love you, and as long as your happy with your life, that's all I want. You happy. That's all I've _ever_ wanted for you, Sephi, even if it isn't with me."

The revelation that struck was stalled by the gentle brush of Toby's lips against hers.


	80. Chapter 80

Zane awoke to the smell of rain in the air; he reached for Jo, but her side of the bed was cold. After several minutes, he was able to blink the sleep from his eyes and got up. After a quick shower, he dressed and made his way into the kitchen, expecting to find her sitting at the table, reading or fixing a cup of coffee. But there was no one except him-

Footsteps caused him to turn.

"Jo-" He stopped, at the sight of the woman making her way down the stairs.

Chocolate waves that fell to her shoulders in layers, a loose t-shirt and cardigan, a pair of black slacks and heels... she looked up, the chocolate curls darkening to black and lengthening, falling in loose curls down her back. As she stepped off the last stair and turned back to look at him, that familiar black ponytail snapped, and he felt his heart leap into his throat. _No, she's not... this is... it's some sort of... of trick..._

_"Jo!"_ She made her way to through the living room and out the front door. He hurried after her, stopping on the porch, finding himself alone.

_"I thought you'd be happy, this is what you wanted, after all."_

Slowly, he turned, to find her sitting on the porch swing, hair loose about her shoulders. She wore a pair of worn jeans and a cream-colored sweater, Converse on her feet. The diamond stud in her nose winked in the dimness of the porch light, and he swallowed, afraid to speak. _"You didn't want her; she lied to you, kept secrets, she's no better than the other one."_

"That's not true." His voice was rough, soft. "I _love_ her. I'm going to marry her."

_"That's so_ sweet." She stopped the swing and stood, going to him. _"You're in love with her, like you were in love with the other one, like you could have been in love with me if we'd been given the chance."_ She met his gaze, and he swallowed thickly. _"Does she want what you want? A long marriage? A happy life?"_ She lowered her head, and he followed her gaze, watching as she reached down to rest a hand to her abdomen. _"A baby?"_

Their gazes locked. _No, we didn't, she's not-_

_"Will you really get it all with her? Everything you want?"_

"Who _are_ you? _What_ are you?" He countered. She smiled softly, dark eyes sparkling.

_"Oh, Zane."_ She reached up, caressing his cheeks with a tender smile. _"Don't you understand?"_

"No! No, I _don't understand!_ I don't understand _any of this_! I-"

_"You think she's going to be your new beginning- that if you marry her, you won't have to figure out how she got here, and you won't have to send her back to her timeline. If you marry her, she won't abandon you and the girls, and you can start fresh, rework your marriage properly, have more babies... forget everything that happened before she showed up... but it doesn't work like that, Zane. Real life and dreams are two entirely different things. You can dream about a happy life, getting your happily ever after, but very rarely does it happen in real life."_

"But-"

She rested a hand against her abdomen. _"Haven't you ever heard of dream interpretation? There's something you need to fix. Something you've ignored for far too long, and it's connected to her, to me, to the one in between us. It's connected to_ all _of us. It's_ begging _to be let out; and you're the type of man who_ can't let _something like this_ go _, not until you've solved it. I know it, I saw it the day we met, and you hadn't even said two words to me. You couldn't figure me out, and it drove you_ nuts _."_ She giggled. _"And it only got worse when_ she _showed up, taking my place on Founders Day. And even though you married her and made babies with her, you_ still _couldn't figure her out, and it got worse. And when she did what she did to you- chasing after Evan behind your back and in front of the girls- you_ tried _to ignore it, but it was always there. And then she disappeared and the other one showed up._ Her."

Zane watched her, forcing himself to keep quiet. He couldn't dispute her; so far, a good majority of what she said was true. Jo had always been a puzzle to him, and no matter how many years he was married to her, no matter which version it was he woke up to, there would always be those pieces of her he couldn't solve- pieces she would never give him, no matter how willing she was or the promises they'd made to each other.

_"You can't handle being left alone. You say you can, that you're fine, that you'll deal, that you're used to being alone, that you don't need anyone, but that's not true. We all need someone, even the most isolated of us. You need the girls like the girls need you- they're your babies, they came from you, you can't picture your life without them now; you're their daddy, and if something were to happen, if something or someone were to take those three girls away from you, you'd fall apart. And you say you were_ fine _without your father, but that's as big a lie as everything else. He never wanted you- and that's where this_ all _stems from."_

"You're wrong-"

_"No, I'm not."_ Her tone softened, her eyes filling with sadness. _"You're used to watching people you love walk out on you, because it's happened your entire life. I know because I went through the same thing; my mother died and then my father walked out on my brothers and I, and Ricco was left to raise the rest of us on his own._ Thank God _he had Tessie, otherwise we'd have all ended up in the system and they'd have split us up. Tessie is the reason I went into psychology in the first place, because her degree is in psychology. So I know_ exactly _what it's like to watch your parent walk out on you. Whether that's through death or of their own free will, it happens. So you learned to please the people who stayed. And you taught yourself that if that ever happened in your marriage, you would never leave your babies. Because they're your babies, and you don't want them to go through what you did. And so you stayed, despite the fact that_ she _was sleeping around on you with Evan, you stayed for the girls, so they'd have some ounce of stability- no matter how small- in their lives."_

He swallowed thickly; his girls were the most important people in his world, and he'd sworn when Cate was born that he would never walk out on her, like his father had him. And so far, it was the one promise he'd managed to keep. _She's reading you like a fucking book-_

_"She never wanted you; she wanted Evan. She was married to Evan in her timeline. She married you out of necessity, because you had a baby on the way, and she was raised Catholic. But she never wanted you, she never_ loved _you. She loved your baby because it was your baby- her baby- but you? Maybe at one time. And you watched her walk out on you and those three babies and it was like watching_ your father _walk out on_ you _and your mother all over again. And you_ stayed _for those babies, and still held a torch for her, even though you never admitted it."_

She smiled softly, seeing the flash of emotion in his gaze, knowing she had him. It was the one thing Zane refused to admit- that even after everything she'd done, he still loved her- not just because of their marriage vows, but because it was Jo; or a _version_ of Jo. _Just one of many, if the infinite universe theory is correct._

_"And then this new one shows up seemingly out of nowhere, takes her place- my place, essentially- and suddenly your world starts making sense. You're happy, your babies are happy, you're thriving, your babies are thriving, your life is... everything you could hope for and more. And then the truth comes out- about her, about me, about the one in between us. You can't chase her forever, Zane. At some point you need to let her go-"_

"I can't, I won't. I love her-"

_"Love is all fine and good, but if it's not returned-"_

"It _is_ returned. You don't know her. Not like I do." She raised an eyebrow.

_"I_ am _her. I may be a different_ version _of her, but I'm still her. And I know what goes on in her head, like I know what goes on in yours. She's convinced you don't want her, that you want me, and that you'll turn around and go looking for me. You called me your wife- I'm not your wife, we never got there._ She _got there, this one nearly did, but I never did. Would I have? Maybe someday, if everything I'd done hadn't happened and we'd been given the chance. But would we have been happy together? Pros and cons. No marriage is ever all sunshine and rainbows; just like no person is ever happy_ all _the time. If you were, you'd be a game show host, and that's no way to live."_

"She _has_ to stay. I love her. Our girls love her. We-"

She reached up, stroking his cheeks. _"Shh. Oh, Zane, don't you_ see _? If you keep her here everything is going to unravel. I made a mistake, a dangerous, fatal mistake; I messed with the wrong one and now_ every _version of me is paying the price."_

"What did you do?" Though he couldn't grab her without going through her, he reached for her all the same; she stepped back. _"Tell me! What did you do?"_

Silence settled between them. A proud smile tugged at her lips, and she lifted her chin. Her dark gaze shone with a light he knew- when she figured something out, got something right, finished something she'd been working on for weeks... pride and hubris all mixed together, the hamartia that led to her downfall, that the woman he loved was now paying for. _"I figured it out- how to jump between timelines."_

"What? _What do you mean how to-"_

_"Evan, Toby and I had been working on this technology for_ years _. The easiest way to jump from one timeline- one time period- to another without having to_ worry _about the rift closing on us before we got to it._ _I brought the plans with me so I could finish perfecting the technology because it was_ my _project, and I_ almost _got it_ perfectly _. I was_ so close _, just a_ little _bit more and then-"_

"What are you talking about?"

_"Don't you get it? Time travel's_ possible _. Evan, Mack and I did it every_ day _for_ twelve year _s- putting dinosaurs back where they belong, ending up in their period while they end up in ours. And my design, just made it_ easier _for us to jump timelines, using what we have in our pocket, what we carry with us every day."_

"Wait... jumping timelines using... using _what?_ "

She reached into her pocket, moving closer to him. _"Zane,_ I _managed to figure out how to jump timelines using only a_ cellphone _."_

"Using a-" He froze. What had Jo said, that first day, when he'd talked to her in Carter's cell after she'd nearly struck the Becker kid?

_I left my cellphone and the rest of my tech behind, but picked up a pay-as-you-go phone and gave that number to Luca just before I left Boston so he'd have a way to contact me and wouldn't worry. Well, my phone rang and I answered it, and then, next thing I know, I'm two inches from hitting the kid on that skateboard in the middle of Main Street. I have no idea how I ended up back in Eureka, especially since I wasn't planning on returning._

Her phone. Sure, it was a pay-as-you-go burner type of phone, but still a phone, and if what this one said was _true_ , then-

He met her gaze, and she smiled; finally, he'd figured it out. "It finally clicked, I see. Smart boy." She moved closer, pressing something into his hand. "So far, it only affects _me_ \- and every _other_ version of me." The ringing started, and he jumped. She giggled, leaning close. "You'd better be careful answering it; I'm not quite sure where you'll end up."

Her dark gaze shone with mirth; a joke, of the highest order, at his expense. And then, without another word, she stepped off the porch. He turned towards her, calling out to her, but she'd disappeared. The phone continued to ring, and he turned back to it, realizing it was _his_ phone, not hers, and that it was someone from the house. Slowly, carefully, he answered it. "H... hello?"

_"... Daddy?"_ Cate sounded so tiny and far away over the line, her voice small and shaking and scared. God, how could he have _done_ this? What kind of father _was_ he, to put his precious babies through this? He forced himself to take a deep breath and release it slowly.

"I'm here, baby."

_"... did you find Mommy?"_ She choked on a sob, swallowing thickly, and Zane felt his heart clench; Cate only ever used 'Mommy' when she was really, really scared of something. _"Is she coming home?"_


	81. Chapter 81

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay, Cate's words at the end of eighty just about tore out my heart... and clearly, this project crossed all timelines... or at least two

The kiss was soft, and yet familiar, as though she'd kissed Toby a million times before. She remembered back in her timeline that she'd met Toby back in high school- she had been Jo's first friend when the Lupos had moved to Fort Bragg during Jo's sophomore year- a year after Evan and his family returned to Canada. Toby's bubbly personality and uniqueness had quickly warmed the youngest Lupo, and the two had become inseparable the year and a half Jo had been in North Carolina.

And yes, Jo could openly admit that Toby had been her first. And yes, she loved Toby dearly, but the attraction she felt for the spunky female geek could never outweigh the attraction she felt for Zane. But bisexual? _"It's called Bi-curious, Papa. It doesn't mean I'm lesbian, it just means I'm open to engaging in activity with other girls, even though I prefer men. I'm a modern girl, and modern girls are open to experimenting with their girlfriends, even if they have boyfriends. It doesn't mean I don't like sex with boys, but I wouldn't be against sleeping with a girl if the option presented itself."_

Her father had about blown a gasket at such an explanation, being heavily Catholic- and while not necessarily _condemning_ other sexualities, the _thought_ that his beloved daughter- his _only_ daughter- was _open_ to experimenting with other women near gave James Lupo a heart attack. _"What would your mother say, Josephina? You know how important our faith was to her!"_

_"I think she would be supportive that I am open to exploring more than just a man's body, Papa! Sex is more than just procreation, Papa! I remember Mama telling Ricci that he and Tessie that as long as it was protected, they could have all the fun they wanted! How come that extends to Ricci but not me?"_

_"Because you're my daughter!"_

_"Because Toby is a woman and not a man! For your information, Papa, I may have lost it to Toby, but I've been sleeping with Evan on and off since high school! And he doesn't care if I slept with Toby first, just as long as I sleep with him-"_

She'd shown up on Toby's doorstep after that argument; she knew a good portion as to why her father had freaked out was because it had come out not long after she'd returned home and been discharged. With high tensions, Jo's addiction, and Luca's death, things had spiraled, and she had fled to Raleigh, seeking safety. Toby had answered the door; Evan had come down to recruit her for Cross Photonics, and over coffee and alcohol, she had told them of the explosion that near taken the roof off the house in Perth A. She'd willingly fallen into bed with both of them that night, eventually curling up in Evan's embrace with Toby wrapped around her back, stroking her hair and whispering softly to her. Had it not been for Evan and Toby...

_You'd be dead of an overdose, buried next to Luca. It's because of them- both of them- that you got as clean as you did. You owe them both so much-_

Her gaze snapped open as the elevator dinged, pulling her from her memories and signaling it had reached their floor as Toby pulled away, a smile tugging at her lips. "I don't think it'd be smart to continue this in the elevator lest we want to get caught." She took Jo's hand, tugging her from the elevator and onto the floor. Suddenly, the Security Director was reminded of what her life had been like before Eureka, before the timeline shifts and she'd fallen for this Zane, in this timeline.

She had no wedding, no vow renewal to worry about finalizing, no egghead scientists to keep in line, no daughters to try to raise, no fears about the timeline ripping apart anymore, just Toby's hand in hers and the taste of cherry on her lips. There was no tension, no heartbreak, no broken promises and sweet, honeyed lies within sky blue eyes. She was back where she belonged, even if only for a while.

 _"Shh."_ Toby quickly slid the keycard into the lock, and opened the door, tugging her into the room. "Sorry I'm late! Hope you guys don't mind, but I picked up a stray on the main drag coming back from seeing my parents in Salem! She says she knows all about SP and wanted to know if we had a position for her on the team."

The sight of Mac, Ange, Evan made her heart stall briefly, and despite everything Toby had told her, it felt as though she'd come home, even if only to visit. They all still looked the same as when she'd last seen them in her timeline, albeit slightly older. Evan's slow smile tugged at her heart; he was scruffy, slightly unkempt, so unlike Zane- and she could understand the appear her Alternative counterpart had had for him. Had she not ended up in Eureka, she probably would have ended up with Evan like her Alternate had-

"Jojo."

So used to hearing that name from Zane's lips, it jarred her momentarily, before she rushed to him; they collided and he kissed her temple, lifting her off her feet. She buried her face in his shoulder, breathing in his scent, relishing the feel of his clothes. The last time she'd seen Evan, he'd made breakfast for them, given her sound advice in regards to the issue with Zane, kissed her goodbye and told her that if she wasn't content wherever she'd ended up, she could always come back to Special Projects. _Give it time- love doesn't hit fast, especially with a history like the one you two've got. If he doesn't realize what you mean to him by the time he returns from that planet he's going to, then he's too stupid to appreciate you and you're better off without him._

Evan had always been able to give her sound, strong advice, and it didn't surprise her that she'd been drawn to him as she had. He was like Zane in so many ways- not just in looks, but in personality, and yet, there were so many things that separated the two men. Zane was passive-aggressive, theoretical- _"theoretical physics, that's the real mind candy"_ \- attentive to detail and in tune with others' needs. Sure, he had a temper, but what man didn't? And it took a lot to set if off, but when it did, it was usually for a good reason; he was fiercely loyal and protective of those he deemed his, especially the women in his life- his mother, his grandmother, his daughters, her- but still struggled to find that perfect balance between being the perfect father and the perfect husband; a balance he would never get _exactly_ right because it wasn't possible, because _nobody was perfect, everybody has their flaws_. And yet, she loved him. She loved how a whispered word or a quick kiss could calm her, how the brush of his hand over her hips as he passed by could relax her and how simply being in the same room as him set her heart racing.

_"You're the queen of my heart and you always have been."_

While Zane was theoretical, Evan was practical, turning their designs and blueprints and ideas to good use, taking the machinery and using it for its practical purpose; he was a people person, able to charm half the women in a room and make half the men in that same room his best friend by the end of the night; as brilliant as Zane, Evan's mind focused more on the how things strung together versus the why- whereas Zane looked at the cause, Evan looked at the effect. He focused on putting the dinosaurs back in their proper place, not necessarily what caused them to come into their time in the first place. Where Zane had several friends, Evan was select in the people he let into his life; he was select in his lovers, in his business partners, in the people who worked at Cross Photonics and those who worked on Special Projects. And while Ange had been the one at fault, Toby had told her, Evan hadn't stopped her- in that respect, he was very much a man, but he also knew that when Jo told him she needed a fresh start, he took her seriously and let her flee to Eureka, promising that she could always return if she ever wanted to.

She could keep up with Zane, but she always surpassed Evan- quick and methodical, she had been the driving force behind Cross Photonics getting off the ground when they first started. It had been Jo's job to make sure Cross Photonics ran smoothly; she was Evan's second-in-command, Ange's senior, being one step above her in business rank, and the one who often dealt with the plans and projects firsthand before Evan did. But when it came to Special Projects, they worked together. Before she left for Eureka, Cross Photonics had been a well-oiled machine, making her and Evan two of the richest young adults in Vancouver's tech world under thirty- because a good majority of the designs coming from Cross Photonics- not just for Special Projects, but in general- had been _her_ ideas.

"I don't have it entirely figured out yet, Jojo, but I'm getting there."

She pulled away as he set her down. "What are you talking about, Ev?"

He scoffed gently, glancing at the others. "You're kidding, right? You don't remember what we were working on when you left?"

She wracked her brain, but it had been so long- a moment passed before she shook her head. "Sorry, Ev, it's been a rough week. Vesuvius erupted." Something sparked in his blue eyes, and she felt her heart catch for the briefest of moments. "Remind me again?"

He pulled away, going to a duffel bag sitting on the bed. After rummaging around it for several minutes, he pulled something out and came back to her, holding it out. She furrowed a brow as she took it. "I _know_ it's your design and your project and you're possessive about it; like I don't know, but you left the copies with me when you went to Eureka and told me to look over them while you worked on the practical application of it and the test runs. Last time we talked on the phone, before you came up, you'd said something about being close-" He stopped. "You don't remember?"

_"I almost have it, Ev! Almost! A couple more tests and we should be able to actually use it! I just can't get the sequence right! If I can get the number sequence right, then next time we go chasing after one of those prehistoric monstrosities, we shouldn't have to worry about the rift closing on us, because all we'll have to do is dial the numbers in the correct order and we'll be back in SP!"_

She blinked; the words were clear as day in her head, but she was _certain_ she'd _never_ said such a thing. Besides, the last project she'd been working on in Special Projects before she'd left for Eureka, besides being exceedingly specific, and _no where_ near ready for trial runs, had been-

Her gaze snapped up to his as she took the small, handheld device.

_Using cellphones to jump across timelines._


	82. Chapter 82

_"I brought the plans with me so I could finish perfecting the technology because it was my project, and I almost got it perfectly. I was so close, just a little bit more and then-"_

"Catie? Baby, are you there?"

The girl hiccupped. _"Daddy, did you find Mommy?"_

"Catie, I need you to put Allison on the phone."

Silence, as the girl sniffled, swiping her hand across her nose. _"But what about Mommy-"_

He swallowed, hearing her voice in his head again. _"The easiest way to jump from one timeline- one time period- to another... using what we carry with us every day. My design just made it easier."_

"It's about Mommy, baby girl, I _promise_. But I _need_ to talk to Auntie Allie."

_"Don't you get it? Time travel's possible."_

_"But Daddy-"_

He pulled the phone away, checking the time.

Friday, ten A.M.

The ceremony was at two the following day, which meant- _Damn it_ , exactly twenty-eight hours before the ceremony, which didn't sound like much of a problem, but there was still so much to do- from the food, to the decorations, to the small reception, and that included Zane's surprise for Jo- and he still needed to _find_ Jo, otherwise the entire ceremony would be off. There could be no wedding, no vow renewal without his bride-

_"I managed to figure out how to jump timelines using only a cellphone."_

"Catie, it's _important_. Now put Auntie Allie on the phone."

A moment passed before his daughter hiccupped again. _"But... but_ _Mommy_ -"

"Caterina, _now_."

His daughter fell silent briefly, before,

_"But-"_

_"If you keep her here everything is going to unravel. I made a mistake, a dangerous, fatal mistake; I messed with the wrong one and now every version of me is paying the price..."_

A shiver of dread dashed up his spine, but he couldn't figure out from what. _"Damn it, Caterina, put Allison on the phone now!"_

Tense silence filled the space between, before Cate spoke up again. _"Daddy wants to talk to you, Auntie."_ He hated that he'd lost his temper with his oldest, but he didn't have time for games.

_"Zane, what's going on?"_

_Oh thank God-_ "Are you still at AIDA?"

_"Jack and I went home to shower and change, but... Zane, what's going on? Did you find Jo?"_

He bit his lip. How the Hell did he explain this- 'Oh, I absolutely found her, Allison. I found her at the cabin, professed my undying love to her, kissed her, then proceeded to spend the next several hours making wild, erotic love to her, only to wake up to her gone, but not, because the ghost of her original or whatever she was, was here, waiting for me on the porch. And she told me things that I can't quite believe.' Yeah, that would go over _real_ well.

_"Zane?"_

"... I found her, but she didn't stay. I don't know where she disappeared to, but I'm gonna keep looking. In the meantime, I need you and Grace to take the girls to GD."

Allison froze. _"Ah- Zane, why?"_

He gave as rushed, plausible an explanation as he could of what he suspected and what the wispy, ghost-like version of her had told him. He wasn't sure Allison believed him, but that didn't matter. "Take the girls and go to Jo's office; look for anything that looks like blueprints or schematics or sketches or even doodles. Anything that could be a design for some sort of handheld device."

_"Zane-"_

"Allison, _please_. It's just a hunch, but it's all I've got."

She paused, hearing the desperation in his voice, and glanced at the girls over her shoulder. "O... okay. I'll bring the girls with me. They've been in Jo's office enough to know where everything is and can tell if something's off."

Once she'd agreed and they ended the call, Zane hurried back into the cabin and grabbed his keys before dashing back to the car. Thanks to the rain, he knew there were very few places she'd go- and if she was trying to get away from Eureka, the last thing she'd do would be return. If he knew Jo- and he knew her pretty well- she'd probably have-

"Damn it, Jo."

_"Let's go up to Portland for the day."_

Portland.

She'd run off to Portland; he couldn't exactly say how he knew, but he did. She had an uncanny, almost freakish, love of the Oregon city- regardless of version. Their second date had been to see the Portland Ballet's production of _Cinderella_ , and she had been thrilled. Since then, every waking moment that wasn't spent at GD, in Eureka or at the cabin, was spent in Portland.

Jo _loved_ the city- she'd grown up hopping between New York and New Jersey, despite her constantly moving to base after base due to her dad's military career. She thrived off the hustle and bustle, the noise and smog, the bright lights and excitement, and it always surprised him that she was comfortable enough to live in tiny, small-town Eureka when she loved the city so. And his girls- they loved the city as much as their parents, though Zane had to admit, he'd grown accustomed to the quiet of small-town life, but that didn't mean he didn't still love the city. He'd grown up in the city; it would also be special to him.

As he headed up to Portland, he only hoped his hunch was right, because if she wasn't in Portland, then he was out of ideas, and he didn't know how he'd explain to the girls that she wasn't coming back. He sent a silent prayer to a deity he didn't believe in that he was right, that she was in Portland, and that wherever she was, whatever she was doing, he'd get there in time to stop her.


	83. Chapter 83

"Why did Daddy say we need to search Mommy's office? We already searched AIDA-"

"I know, Catie, but Daddy said that the thing he needs to find Mommy would probably be in her office." The girl nodded silently as she and her sisters followed Allison and Grace through the doors.

Jo's office was pristine, neat and tidy; similar to how AIDA was kept. Everything had and was in its proper place; the flag she'd received at her father's funeral rested on the shelf beneath her gun cabinet, above her computer, next to the small display case that held her Purple Heart, the Silver Star her paternal grandfather had been awarded when he became an ace in the Air Force, and her father's Medal of Honor, as well as her maternal grandfather's 'Black Widow' Navy Cross- which had been given to her maternal grandmother in forty-one after her grandfather had been killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Allison remembered Jo telling her that her grandmother had gone into labor two days after being given the cross, and that Jolene Duarte had never forgiven the Navy for what she deemed as 'stealing Peter from her' but had done her part and joined the Navy Auxiliary force anyway during the war, even though she had a little boy and a newborn baby girl to raise on her own.

On the desk were three photographs- the ones of Zane and Cate, and Jo, Ela and Anna, and then a third, a new one- taken at Cate's birthday party. Allison picked it up, her heart clenching. Claudia had taken the photograph- Cate stood between Zane and Jo, the light from the candles on her cake casting small shadows against her skin. Zane stood with his hand on her back, and Jo had her arm around her daughter, their foreheads touching; she seemed to be giving the girl a piece of advice that no one else could hear, and the small smile that played on the girl's lips seemed to outshine the candles on her cake. Gently, Allison returned it to the desk before casting her gaze around the room.

Nothing appeared out of the ordinary, and after a moment, she took a seat in Jo's desk chair, pulling open the drawers and shuffling through them. She started, to find the divorce papers buried in the bottom of a drawer, along with two resignation letters and the printed results for a positive pregnancy test not done at GD.

_"We'll get our family back, Evan, I promise. In eight months, we'll have our family back."_

"Auntie Allie?" The Medical Director quickly shoved the results between the resignation letters and shoved them all back into the drawer before shutting it and looking up. The girls shook their heads; there was nothing in the office, and they'd torn it to all but shreds in search of anything that Zane had described. With a sigh, she stood, moving around the desk and tugging Cate and Ela close.

"Come on, girls, let's go back to AIDA. We can call Daddy on the way-"

As they strode through the rotunda, Anna stopped. "Auntie Allie? Can we go to Daddy's office?" The older woman furrowed a brow.

"Annaleigh, there's no reason to-"

" _Please, Auntie Allie?_ Maybe Mama hid whatever Daddy wants us to find there? We already tore through AIDA and found nothing." A moment passed before Allison consented, and she, Grace and the other girls followed Anna down to their father's office in Section Five.

Zane's office, though tidy, wasn't as tidy as Jo's had been. There was a table against the far right wall with bits and bobs, trinkets and pieces Zane would fiddle with when he was going through reports or reading over proposals. A bookshelf sat against the opposite wall with a various trinkets and things on the shelves. Slowly, Allison and Grace followed the girls into the room. The desk was pretty bare, but everyone knew that besides the computer on the shelf behind the chair, he mainly used a holographic computer. On the desk sat a few files he had yet to look over, and two photographs- one of the girls at Henry and Grace's party and the other of him and Jo at Cate's birthday party; it was a candid shot that Claudia had taken of the pair, who'd tucked themselves away to watch the festivities. She was tucked into his arms, watching the party, as Zane pressed a kiss to her temple. It was a beautiful photograph, and Allison really hoped they'd be able to bring Jo back to Eureka and go through with the ceremony-

"Auntie Allie?" She looked up, unaware that she'd gotten lost in the photograph. She moved around the desk, making her way to the low bookshelf; Anna sat cross-legged on the floor, something in her lap. "Annaleigh, honey, what did you find?" The twelve-year-old turned to her aunt. She held a small black velvet box in her palm. Slowly, Allison knelt down beside her as Grace, Cate and Ela joined them.

"That's the box Daddy gave Mama that had Great-Grandma's ring in it." Cate spoke up. "Daddy said it went missing not long after I was born and he never found it. I don't understand why he was so worried, it's just an empty ring box. What's it doing in his office?"

The others shared glances, all unsure, as Anna opened it. The lid cracked softly in the quiet, and Anna tilted it back and forth, studying it. Something was off, like the cushion the ring sat in hadn't been placed in the box properly. After a moment, she gently tugged the cushion from the box. _"Annie!"_ The child turned to her older sister, dropping the cushion and reaching into the box. Without a word, she pulled a USB drive, no bigger than the Romanov pendant Claudia had given Cate for her birthday without realizing what it was. Anna turned to Allison and Grace.

"Why is Daddy hiding a USB drive in the Great-Grandma's ring box in his office?"


	84. Chapter 84

_I know this device._

She shook her head; of _course_ she _knew_ this device- she'd _designed_ this device. It had taken her an inordinate amount of time to get every feature exactly right- ironic, really, considering all that it really was was a _cellphone_. But it had a very specific purpose and each piece had very specific functions. She'd struggled to get each piece just right- and then struggled to make sure each piece _worked_ right.

She hadn't been ready for tests yet, because she wasn't satisfied with it; Jo would never take something for a test until it was absolutely perfect. She was perfectionist in everything, but especially her designs and projects. And Evan knew that. "You haven't tested it, have you?"

He raised an eyebrow. "What kind of _idiot_ do you think I am, Jojo? My IQ may not be as high as yours, but I'm not _that_ stupid. It's _your_ design, _your_ project, _your_ test."

After a moment, Toby, Ange and Mac made some excuse about going down and getting something to eat, leaving the pair alone. As the door clicked shut behind them, Jo finally spoke, setting the prototype down. "You _finished_ my _project_?"

"You went _back_ to your _husband_?" His tone was biting, but not condescending. She furrowed a brow.

"Of course I did! He's my husband, _I love him_!"

" _Really?_ Cause you seemed _pretty set_ on leaving him nine months ago! Or have you forgotten our plans?"

"What plans?" She whispered, and he scoffed, lowering his gaze briefly, before picking up the prototype.

 _"Exactly."_ He leaned close, his lips inches from hers. "Or I guess I should be asking _when_ exactly did you two _swap_ places?" Her eyes widened and she paled. "Like I said, I'm not _stupid_ , Jojo. You think I can't spot the _differences_ between one you and the other? Or you and the original?" She kept quiet, taking a deep breath, and he reached out, brushing a slightly damp curl off her cheek; her eyes fluttered closed out of instinct. "You don't have the diamond in your nose, or the septum piercing." He gently thumbed her bottom lip. "And you're missing your shark bites. Ricco threw a fit when you got those done." His gaze moved to her hair. "You grew your hair out, let the color fade." He slid a hand down her side, pulling her close as she opened her eyes, his other hand reaching out to press against her abdomen. "And as if I could forget the _baby_."

Her breath caught as she remembered Allison's words- _"She blamed me for losing it, she blamed me for costing her her child."_

"Evan-"

"But you... you've never been _pregnant_. You know how I know? I can _see_ it, in the way you walk, in the way you hold yourself. There's a very _specific_ way a woman who's been pregnant and given birth walks after the baby's born- even _years_ after the baby's born. There's more sway to her hips, they roll a little more with each step, because at one time, her joints had been so loose they were no longer connected directly because of the pregnancy. You have sway in your hips, but not like that."

She met his gaze, swallowing thickly. "Evan, I-"

"Tell me, Jojo, what timeline did you come from? And how did you end up here?"

"How do you-"

He raised an eyebrow. "You're not my Jo. You're _Zane's_ Jo. _Doctor Donovan's_ Jo. You're not the girl I grew up with in Perth A. You're a _version_ of her, but not _her._ Not exactly. And you're not the woman I planned on marrying -again, you're a _version_ of her, but not the one I want."

Something inside of her uncoiled slightly. "Are you mad?"

He shook his head, pursing his lips. "No. I kind of expected something like this to happen, you know, when you _meddle with timelines_." He saw her swallow hard, and after a moment, snorted softly. "Don't you look at me in that tone of voice. This isn't _my_ fault. _You_ were the one that decided to mess with the timelines. _You_ of all people should know better, given what we spent _years_ doing." She crossed her arms with a huff, and Evan rolled his eyes, reaching out to tug her close. "Oh Jojo, don't do that. You know I didn't mean it like that. We've worked together how many years?"

 _"This isn't my fault, Evan Nicholas!_ I'm not the one that did it! I've been _trying_ to _adjust_ to and clean up her mess! Sneaking 'round with you, getting pregnant! That's _not me_! _I love Zane!_ I'm going to marry him! And she... she's _messed everything up!_ "

" _Hey, it wasn't her-"_

 _"Then the other one or whoever!_ _Whichever_ one decided to play around with the timelines, to build my device, because by _my guess, this_ isn't the only prototype!" She grabbed the device he held. "You _know me, Ev!_ I _always_ built the _first one_. The first one was _mine_ ; it belonged to me. I worked on it for how long before I came here? It took me _how many_ sleepless nights redesigning it before I got it to where I felt like _I_ could actually build it- not Toby, not you- me?" She shoved him away, stepping back, still holding the small handheld phone.

"Jo-"

"This is _my design, Cross!_ I'm your _partner, damn it! I_ own _half_ our fucking _company! My_ ideas, _my_ designs, _my_ projects, _my prototypes! Mine! They're patented under my name, not yours, not Cross Photonics!_ The _company_ may bear your name, but the _majority_ of the _designs_ are _mine!_ They _come from me!_ So _which one of you did it? Which one of you buil_ t my prototype? W _hich one of you built my TCD?"_

She stopped, breath catching. _TCD... TC..._ When she'd left Cross Photonics, she'd been messing around with the name, but nothing had stuck, though she kept returning to one- _Timeline Conversion Device._ Her gaze moved to the phone in her hand. _Because dialing the numbers in a specific order was supposed to briefly cause the timelines to converge, allowing whoever dialed the sequence time to slip through the rift created by the convergence and return to a specific period or place in the present timeline._ But she had never been able to get the sequence correct.

"I didn't build it, Jojo."

"What do you mean you didn't build it, Evan? You're the one who has it-"

"I may have it, but I didn't build it, and neither did Toby. We know the rules in regards to your projects."

She glanced at him before returning her gaze to the device. "Then who built it, exactly?"

"You did."

_"It's still in the basic prototype stages, but GD has the latest and most advanced technology on the planet. It's not gonna be hard for me to get my hands on what I need to finish this prototype. And once I've finished putting it together, then I'll start testing it."_

"What do you mean I built it? My design is just _barely_ at the prototype stage-"

_"... finished it weeks ago... I still can't get the sequence right. There's a specific order that the numbers have to be dialed in, and it repeats about three times, that's the way I designed it, but I can't get it correct, no matter how hard I try."_

Her head snapped up, as Evan reached out to take the device, but she pulled away. "You built it- started to build it- before you left for Eureka, took it with you, and then..." He sighed. "after whatever happened, _happened_ , you continued to work on it. Right up until you disappeared."

Neither noticed the door slam open, or heard the hurried footsteps come into the room and stop at what appeared to be the sight of her standing in Evan's arms, locked in a deep embrace.


	85. Chapter 85

He was wrong about what he saw- so, _so_ wrong - but in that moment, he didn't know that.

In that moment, all Zane saw was Jo- _his_ Jo, _his_ wife, the woman who'd shown up in this timeline by no fault of her own, who'd managed to not just bring him back to life, but his girls - her girls, _their_ girls - and remind them _all_ of what it meant to love again- in Evan Cross' arms, face tilted towards his, with what looked like her hands against his chest.

Instead, Zane saw nothing but red.

 _Murderous, dangerous, bloody_ red.

Zane could proudly say it took a lot to push him to the brink- even the greatest disasters Eureka put the world in on a daily basis didn't push him to the edge- but mess with any of his loved ones-

His mother, his sister, his daughters, his _wife_...

And there would be Hell to pay.

And Cross... he would pay in _blood_ , if Zane had his way.

 _"Just what the fuck do you think you're doing, Cross?"_ The pair turned, and Zane saw the confusion flash across Jo's face. It was almost as if she didn't recognize him...

"Ah... Zane?" And then it was gone, and she turned to face him fully and he saw the device in her hands, opened, for she'd been fiddling with it as she'd talked to Evan. "What are you doing here?"

Jaw clenched, he stormed towards her, pulling back-

His fist slammed into Evan's face, knocking Jo to the floor; she landed hard on her side, the wind knocked out of her, still holding tight to the TCD, unaware that a sequence of numbers appeared on the screen, three times, as she'd designed it to do-

_923 4 10 8599_

_"Sephi!"_ The screen started to glow, and soon, everything began to shift around her. It was as though she were watching a cascade failure on a computer. Everything began to settle, and soon stopped. She was in the hotel room-

The door opened, and she quickly stood; Evan tossed his jacket on the bed as he made his way towards her. "Sorry I'm late, Jojo."

"Evan-" But before she could continue, he took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply. She gave in for the briefest of moments, before her gaze snapped open and she moved to push him away. "No," He furrowed a brow as she broke the kiss. "No, Ev, this isn't right, we can't-"

"What's going on with you, Jojo? We agreed, the divorce is the best thing for you. It's the best thing for us, and this baby." He gently pressed a hand to her abdomen, and she pulled away, jerking her fingers across the keypad.

_923 4 10 85990_

Everything began to shift, and she looked up as the room began to pixilate once more. _"Jo!"_

Once everything seemed to calm down, she looked up to find herself _back in the bedroom of their house_. It was completely quiet, as though no one else were home; still clutching the device, she made her way down the stairs on soft feet. There was no one in the living room, no one in the house besides her- _"Oh God... this isn't good..."_ She hurried back upstairs, back into the bedroom, shutting the door and leaning against it, trying to get her breathing under control. "What the hell... one minute I'm in the hotel with Evan and the next-"

 _"Shall I make you some peppermint tea, Jo?"_ She jumped, before remembering it was only AIDA.

"No thank you, AIDA."

 _"Are you sure, Jo? Your blood pressure has spiked, and Allison told me to make sure we keep your blood pressure down to avoid an early arrival."_ Her brow furrowed and she stopped her soft murmuring.

"Early arrival? Early arrival of _what_ , AIDA?"

_"Your baby, Jo. After Anna was born two years ago, Allison didn't want to take any chances and so told you to take weeks off intermittently once you reached the six month mark with your current pregnancy."_

"I'm sorry, current _what_?" She choked out, pushing herself away from the door and going to the full length mirror. Through her clothing she could definitely see a very noticeable- "AIDA? AIDA! What year is it?"

_"Why it's January two-thousand-twelve, Jo. Why?"_

She swallowed thickly. _January, two-thousand-twelve... and Ela was born in April..._ She sat heavily on the bed, unaware of the front door opening and the voices in the lower half of the house. _Six months. I'm six months pregnant with Ela-_ Her gaze turned back to the device in the her hands.

"Why don't you go wake Mommy, Catie? Annie and I can put away the groceries."

Her gaze landed on the last number in the sequence. Zero, signifying ten. The first four numbers never changed; she designed it that way- they would always be of importance to the person using the device, the middle numbers were always the coordinates of the person, and the last two... they always pertained to certain events in the person's life. The date an affair began, the six month mark in a pregnancy... and the last number entered always mirrored the first number and brought the person back to the present.

"Mommy?"

She looked up to see a little girl, no older than three or four, dash towards her and climb onto the bed. "Cate?" But before the girl could respond, another voice interrupted her.

"Allison told you to stay in bed." Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Zane making his way towards her, Anna in his arms. He set the toddler on the bed and leaned down, kissing her quickly on the lips. "Is everything-" She captured his mouth in hers, drinking deeply from him for several minutes before finally pulling away. "Not that I'm not... what was that for?"

"I love you. I know I don't say it enough-"

"Mommy, what's this?" The adults turned.

"Catie, no!" Jo grabbed it, unaware she'd slid her hand along the keyboard again.

_923 4 10 859909_

Catie's screams for her soon faded, and when she looked up again, it was to the same hotel room she'd left, and everything was exactly the same. Mac, Toby and Ange had managed to separate the two men, and Jo was still sitting on the floor. Evan was fairly bloody and Zane's lip had been split. " _Sephi!_ " Toby rushed to her, pulling her to her feet and throwing her arms around her in a hug. "Thank God, you're okay!"

"I did it, Toby." The other woman pulled away.

"What?"

"It worked. It works! My TCD, it works! My device! Toby, don't you know what this means?" The other woman shook her head.

"All I know is that you were here one minute and then the next you were gone-"

Jo let out a squeal of excitement. _"I know! God, Toby, don't you get it? I jumped timelines! I actually jumped timelines and I was able to control it! Which means... if I can perfect it, then I can go home! I can go back to my timeline!"_


	86. Chapter 86

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Oh boy.... I wasn't expecting this... and I'm actually ending it here and making it a series because there's just so much left...

_"You know I love you, I really do_   
_But I can't fight anymore for you_   
_And I don't know, maybe we'll be together again_   
_Sometime, in another life_   
_In another life_

_I know I said that I would keep my word_   
_I wish that I could save you from the hurt_   
_But things will never go back to how we were_   
_I'm sorry I can't be your world"_

_\- In Another Life,_

_The Veronicas_

The drive home from Portland was filled with awkward silence and tension. She glanced at him, but he refused to look at her. Her excitement at her device working had quickly been dampened by the look on Zane's face. Evan had agreed not to press charges, and Zane had stormed out; Jo scurried out after him, determined to do damage control-

"I should have left you in Portland."

_"'You know I love you, you know I do, but I can't fight anymore for you... and I don't know, maybe we'll be together again, sometime, in another life...'"_

Her head snapped to the side as they pulled into the driveway. _"What?"_

He met her gaze; neither noticed the others dash onto the porch, neither saw the girls come dashing down the steps towards the car. "I should have left you in Portland, with Cross. That's where you want to be, after all."

_"Mommy! Daddy!"_

"No, that's not what I want at all!" Zane rolled his eyes, getting out of the car and she followed. "You don't get to do this, Zane!" She hurried to him, dodging around the girls as he turned back to her. "You don't get to walk away, not again! I watched you walk away the first time and I didn't stop you! I watched you go to Titan and I didn't ask you to stay! I had to live without you because I was forced to! I had to adapt, I had no choice! And I lived for two years with memories of you- of us- that you didn't remember! Do you know how that killed me? Do you even care at all?"

" _Care?_ What I _care_ about, _Jo_ , is what I saw in that hotel room today! _You_ , standing in Cross's embrace, _kissing him!_ Like you had for _years!_ Putting _our girls- putting me- second, as always_! Always! It doesn't matter what timeline you come from- this one, an alternate one, a merged one- it doesn't matter! Not when it comes to me or the family we've built! You put us second, _just like always_!"

She took a deep breath, the tears in her eyes mirroring the ones in his. The girls watched them, holding their breath. "That _wasn't me_ , Zane. Not then. And that _wasn't_ what you saw today."

"And I'm just supposed to take your word for it?" He came back to her, grabbing her forcefully by the arms and yanking her towards him; the device dropped from her hands into the grass. "How can I trust _anything_ that comes out of your _mouth_?"

"You're hurting me." She struggled to pull away.

 _"You've hurt me! For years!"_ He tugged her back. "And I've done _nothing_ but love you, for fourteen years! I did nothing but love you and raise our daughters, even as you were gallivanting up to Portland and Vancouver to see Cross!" She struggled to get away, but he tightened his grip, a gleam in his blue gaze that scared her- and it took a lot to scare Jo _. "You hurt me, so maybe it's time I hurt you in retaliation!"_

 _"Let go of me!"_ They struggled for several minutes-

"Zane!"

She stumbled back as his palm connected with her cheek, and she looked up at him, horror and disbelief on her pretty features. They could hear Carter and Henry trying to keep Ricco back, and the startled look on Zane's face was enough to tell her that he'd never intended to hurt her in that way. "Jo... Jo, I... I never meant... this isn't what..."

She knelt, snatching up the TCD, dark eyes blazing with tears. "And to _think_ , I was going to _marry you tomorrow_." She shook her head. "No. It's _canceled._ It's _off. For good_. You can keep the girls. They're not mine anyway. I'm outa here."

 _"Jo! Damn it, stop it!"_ He grabbed her hand, yanking her back. Their lips met, that undeniable spark of theirs starting to ground them both- it was like that kiss in the sheriff's office back in the original timeline, like the kiss in the ruins of her house, like the kiss in his lab in the first timeline during the two suns incident, the kiss in the sheriff's office after the ancient love spores made her kiss Carter. It grounded her and set her heart racing, it thrilled her and made her wary as this kiss always did. It made her weak in the knees and gave her the strength to stand. It reminded her of why she loved him in the first place-

She pulled away, meeting his gaze. She could see the pain and regret for what he'd done in his eyes, and her heart tugged, as it always did. And then she shoved him away, her palm connecting with his cheek as his had with hers moments earlier. She stepped out of his embrace, heart shattering into a million pieces. " _I_ never walked away from you, Zane. They may have- _she_ may have- but _I never did_. I loved you." Her gaze moved to the device in her hands, and after a moment, she flipped it open.

"Jo," Carter's voice was soft, calm. "Whatcha got there?"

She glanced at the sheriff, before glancing at Zane. "You don't want me anymore. So fine, since you don't want me anymore, maybe I'll just go back."

"Back _where_?" Carter asked; despite what had happened, he knew better than to get between the volatile couple, having been caught in the middle before.

"Where I belong. My timeline." As she spoke, she punched in a series of numbers, but her hands shook, and she wasn't sure if she'd done it correctly or not. "Since I'm _not wanted_ here." Claudia hurried to Cate, grabbing her around the waist as the girl rushed to her mother; Allison and Grace hurried to hold Anna and Ela back. Jo shook her head, meeting Zane's gaze. She backed up a couple steps.

"Or maybe I'll get lucky, and end up in a timeline where we never met." The sequence finished, she pressed what would be the send button as Cate broke free from Claudia.

_"Mommy!"_

_"Mama! No!"_

The others rushed towards her, but in the blink of an eye, she was gone.


End file.
